Bound To You
by jyvonne13
Summary: It's been months since Nick and Judy solved the predators case. Nick is now her partner in the ZPD and they're best friends...but do they want to be something more? How do Judy and Nick get together? Through their constant bickering and drama will they stay together? And who is trying so hard to keep they away from each other?
1. First Day

**Let me stat by saying, I wasn't going to ship Nick and Judy. The first time I saw Zootopia a few weeks ago I fell in love with the movie and I've seen it three times since then. I thought about how adorable Nick and Judy are and decided they have to be together. There's no use in fighting it. I love them as a couple. Probably one of the best ships ever!**

 **So this is my version of how they got together. What started out as literally a one-shot has become a very long story with an intricate plot that took forever to develop. So I hope you like it, review and let me know what you think. As per usual with my stories, you'll probably hate me at some point, but that's why I write. I'm a very evil writer and I enjoy being that way.**

Chapter 1:

First Day

The engine of the police cruiser revved as it cruised down the streets of Zootopia. The two cops inside scanned the area looking for the suspect of their next mission. Judy Hopps sat behind the steering wheel with her long hair blowing in the wind from the open window, an air of excitement in her violet eyes. Nick Wilde sat beside her wearing a pair of sunglasses and eating a pawpsicle with his feet propped up on the dashboard.

It was his first day on duty. He had readily accepted Judy's offer to be her partner in the ZPD and after spending 2 months training in the police academy, he had graduated with honors and was sent on his first official mission with her. After solving the predators case, apprehending a thief posing as a cop seemed like kids stuff to him. The best part of it all was being able to be on the case with Judy.

The two had become inseparable in the weeks since they saved Zootopia. Judy helped him at the police academy providing her knowledge and training in any way that she could. She kicked his ass during that time, but it was worth it. They were best friends who cared about each other deeply, only leaving the question of how deep they wanted to admit that they cared for each other.

"I hate this song," Judy said changing the radio station.

"What?! What do you mean you hate Eminem?!" Nick exclaimed in shock.

"I'm not a big rap fan."

How could anyone hate rap music?! "So what do you suggest we listen to, carrots?"

Judy changed it to a pop station.

"'Cause, baby, now we got bad blood

You know it used to be mad love

So take a look what you've done

'Cause, baby, now we got bad blood."

"Fuck," Nick said face palming.

He noticed someone interesting looking outside. "Hey Judy, what did Bogo say the guy we're looking for looked like?"

"He's about the six feet, bushy hair, mid 30s, an eye patch," Judy said.

"I think we've got our guy," Nick said.

The two fist bumped and then Judy began to follow him. They followed for about 3 blocks and then he started heading towards City Hall.

"Let's go."

They got out the car and trailed the man into the City Hall but soon lost him in the crowd of people bustling back and forth.

"Damn it," Nick said as they looked.

"Can I help you with anything?" said a young woman with a long ponytail wearing a pants suit.

"Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. We're with the ZPD," Judy said showing their badges.

"Ohh you're Judy and Nick!" she said excitedly.

"And who are you?" Nick asked.

"Silly me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Maribel. I'm the new assistant mayor."

"Tell me you're not insane," Nick said. "The last assistant mayor tried to kill us."

Maribel giggled. "Oh no, of course not! I'm on your side."

"Well maybe you can help us. Did you see a guy dressed as a cop come in here?" Judy asked.

"I saw a cop talking to Mayor Lionhart a few minutes ago," Maribel said pointing across the room.

"Thanks!"

The two ran over to Mayor Lionhart who was adjusting her tie after a conversation with an important looking man in a suit..

"Hey Mayor Lionhart, where did the cop you were talking to go?" Nick asked.

"He wanted to look at some files for an investigation," the mayor said. "I sent him downstairs to the room full of top secret Zootopia files."

"Sir, that wasn't a cop!" Judy said. "He's an undercover robber!"

"What?!"

"We've got to find him!" Nick said.

They ran as fast as they could to the top secret files room. It was in the basement of the City Hall. Sure enough the door was open and the man was there with the mayor's keys digging through the files.

"Stop!" Judy exclaimed.

"Oh hi, are you here investigating too?" he said calmly.

"We know you're…!"

Nick stopped her. "Yeah, we are." Judy looked at him confused and he gave her a look that said to play along. "Looks like you beat us to it, good call." The two walked over. "We're here to help. Wanna tell us what it is you're looking for? We weren't properly filled in on the case."

"Sure. I'm looking for the locations of all of the Zootopia safe's. There's word that there's at least $8 trillion in them combined. The boss promises to reward us heavily if we can find them. We've got to take it back to his office, you know the pool hall on the south side? According to that idiot Lionhart, the map to all of the safe's should be in here somewhere."

"Oh yeah, right, sounds good. Move over and let us help."

Before anything more could be said Nick put handcuffs on him. He looked at Nick in shock.

"You're under arrest."

"You can't prove anything!"

Judy pulled a carrot pen out of her pocket and pressed the playback button.

"I'm looking for the locations of all of the Zootopia safe's. There's word that there's at least $8 trillion in them combined. The boss promises to reward us heavily if we can find them."

"You're coming with us," Judy said with a smirk.

They hauled him through the city hall towards the exit. Before they left they were approached by Lionhart.

"Judy, Nick, I don't know what I would do without you," he said.

"All in a day's work sir," Judy said.

They went out to the cop car and threw him in the backseat. Then began to drive off and soon arrived back at the police station.

"Nice work you two," Bogo said to them in the meeting room after their criminal had been taken away.

"It was mostly Nick," Judy said. "He found him and got him to tell us what he was doing."

"Very impressive for a first day on the job Wilde," Bogo said. "I'm glad to have you on my force. Keep up the good work."

"Will do chief," Nick said proudly.

"See you two tomorrow."


	2. Heart To Heart

**Chapter 2:**

Heart To Heart

"Nick Wilde! Wake up!" Judy exclaimed when she saw Nick at his desk in their office fast asleep.

He jumped when he heard her yelling at him. "What? I'm awake!"

"You can't be sleeping on the job when there's work to do!" Judy said.

"Relax carrots, it's all done...wait, nevermind." He looked at the unfinished paperwork in front of him and began to fill the rest of it out.

Judy sighed exasperatedly. "You can't be serious."

"Shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up when you're not even…!"

"Done!" He stood up and began to leave the office.

"You're lucky it was me that found you sleeping and not Bogo," Judy said following him down the hallway.

"I wouldn't have been asleep if you hadn't kept me up all night playing Legend of Zelda," Nick said putting the papers on the desk in front of Ben Clawhauster who looked at them with interest.

"You could have opted out at any moment."

"No because then all I would have heard is 'Nick, we need to get to the next level! Don't make me do it alone!'"

"I don't sound like that!"

"Yeah you do carrots."

"Stupid fox!"

"Dumb bunny!"

"You know, I think it's cute that you two have gotten to that point in your relationship where you have little arguments. You're so romantic!" Clawhauster said.

Nick and Judy were silent for a moment as their faces turned red.

"We're not in a relationship Ben," Judy said looking away from Nick.

"Yeah, are you kidding?" Nick said also looking away from her. He stole a glance at her out the corners of his eyes and found her blushing and twisting her hair around her fingers which he'd come to realize was a nervous habit of hers.

"Well you might as well be," Clawhauster said. "You're always together and I saw that Facebook picture you posted of the two of you together."

"That was just for fun…" Judy tried to explain.

"Alright, so what did you do this weekend?"

"We went to Olive Garden and played Legend of Zelda at Judy's house…" Nick's voice trailed off when he saw a wide smile forming on Clawhauster's face. "It was all platonic!"

"I'm sure it was," Clawhauster said still smiling at them.

The front door opened and Maribel came in. "Hi everyone."

"What's up Maribel?" Judy said.

"Just running an errand for Mayor Lionhart. Can you all make sure Bogo gets these, they're very important."

"Sure thing," Clawhauster said. "So Maribel, do you think Nick and Judy should…?"

"Can it, Clawhauster," Nick said putting an end to the conversation.

"Judy, where did you get your necklace?" Maribel asked.

"I got it at the mall a couple weeks ago."

"You'll have to show me sometime, it's so pretty."

"Of course I will."

Suddenly there was a dispatch call.

"This is Bogo! We need backup down on Main Street! Hurry!"

Judy and Nick jumped into action. "Later guys!"

*WW*

That weekend Judy was walking through the mall with Maribel to show her where she got the necklace and to just shop around for whatever she could find.

"Thanks for coming with me Judy," Maribel said.

"No problem. It's nice t have some girl time for once. I've always tended to hang out with guys more so this is fun."

Maribel giggled. "Let me guess, you were one of the girls out in the dirt playing football in elementary school?"

Judy laughed. "Pretty much. How are things going as the assistant mayor?"

"I like it. I've got a nice office and everyone is so kind."

"Well it's a step up from the last assistant mayor. I'm sure they treat you a lot better."

"You bet. I was told a lot of weird stuff about her. I hope I'm a lot better than she was."

"Aw don't worry about it. Just don't try to capture all the predators and destroy Zootopia and you'll be fine."

They ended up at a Macy's and started looking at shoes.

"So how long have you and Nick been dating?" Maribel asked.

Judy was surprised by the question. "Nick and I aren't dating."

"Oh really? I'm sorry, I thought you were. You two just seem so close."

Judy shrugged. "I mean, we're good friends and we hang out all the time. I care about him a lot. I don't think he'd ever want to date me though."

"Why not? I think you two would make a perfect couple."

The thought made Judy smile. Maybe she'd thought about her and Nick together...more than once. And maybe she kind of sort of wished that he would ask her out. But that was all it was, wishful thinking.

"You're blushing!" Maribel said knowingly.

Judy pretended to be very interested in the price tag on a pair of boots. "I don't know, maybe we would make a good couple. But I don't see it happening anytime soon. I think he just wants to be friends."

She choked out the last word. Friends wasn't enough to describe how much she cared about him. But she didn't want to get her hopes up. Nick didn't seem interested in her that way and as much as it hurt to admit it, she had to accept it.

*WW*

"So since you've gone off and become all noble now, I need to find a new partner," said Finnick as he and Nick walked down the street together.

"Tell me more about your sad life," Nick said sarcastically.

"Do you realize how hard it is to shake down people for money by yourself?"

"Aw come on Fin, you're a strong independent man. Not all that big though…"

"Hey!"

"But what can you do."

Nick and Finnick had been friends since they were little kids. After that awful incident with the cub scouts Finnick had found him on the side of the road and taught him not to give a shit about what people thought of him. Eventually they found a way to get by in life, the fox way, and no one was going to tell them otherwise.

"You know, according to ZPD protocol I should arrest you," Nick said jokingly.

"You arrest me and see what happens Nick!"

Nick laughed. Finnick was tiny but he'd never met anyone tougher and more prepared to kick someone's ass. His phone buzzed and he found that it was a text from Judy.

 _Rogue One comes out today. Do I have to go alone?_

 _I'll be there_

Finnick stood on his toes trying to see Nick's phone. "Is that that Judy girl?"

"Yeah," Nick replied as he typed his text.

"Hot date tonight?"

"What? No way!" Nick said shoving his phone back into his pocket to make sure Finnick didn't see the text.

"So tell me you've tapped that right? I mean, she's got the ass of a goddess."

Nick shoved his arm. "We're _not_ together. Why is this so hard for everyone to understand?"

"Because you make it so damn obvious that you like her!"

"I do _not_ like her." That was a lie.

"Tell me with a straight face that you don't think she's pretty."

"Not really." Also a lie.

"You smiled! You do like her!"

"Look. Judy and I are friends. We're work partners, nothing more. That's how it's going to stay." That was the exact opposite of what he wanted. Judy was beautiful, funny, smart...everything that was perfect really. But he doubted she'd want to date him.


	3. Cuffed

**This was probably the most fun chapter to write.**

 **Chapter 3:**

Cuffed

"Hey Judy, can you hand me my pen?" Nick said. It was the end of the day and they were in their office at the ZPD. Nick was just signing some papers and as soon as he finished they would be leaving.

"What's the magic word?"

"Damn you're annoying."

"I thought I was amazing?"

"When did I say that?"

"Yesterday."

"I didn't say that."

Judy pressed the playback button on the pen.

" _You're amazing Judy. You always know how to make me happy_."

Of course she recorded it, he thought.

"I take it back, you're annoying. Give me the pen!" He tried to reach for it but she jumped out of the way.

"Come on Nick, is that the best you can do?"

Nick chased her around the room. "Judy, come on! Seriously!" Suddenly he got an idea. He grabbed a pair of handcuffs off the table and cuffed her wrist to his. "There, now I won't let you go until you give me the pen."

Judy looked at the handcuffs, then at him, then at the handcuffs, then at him again. "Nick," she said in a deadpan voice looking him directly in the eye.

"What?"

"There are no keys to these cuffs!" she shouted.

Nick's eyes got wide. "Shit."

"What is the matter with you?!" she exclaimed grabbing his shirt.

"Relax Judy, Clawhauster has spare keys, I'm sure he has keys for these cuffs."

They made their way downstairs to the front desk where Clawhauster was eating donuts. When he saw them he burst out laughing. "Oh em goodness! This is just _too_ perfect!"

"Ha ha very funny," Nick said rolling his eyes.

"Let it all out," Judy said.

"How did this happen?" Clawhauster said still laughing and highly entertained by the murderous looks on their faces.

"Dumb fox here thought it would be a good idea to handcuff us together," Judy said tossing an angry look at Nick.

"Can we just have the keys Ben?" Nick said.

"Sure...oh looks like those are old handcuffs. I don't think I have keys to those but you can try." He handed them a keyring full of keys.

Nick and Judy desperately tried every single one of them but nothing worked.

"God damn it," Nick said after the last key didn't work.

"You're about to wish you were an endangered species Nick," Judy said through her teeth.

"You can saw it off," Clawhauster suggested.

"Saw it off?!" Judy said alarmed.

"That's a good idea," Nick said. "Finnick has a saw."

"I don't know…"

"Would you rather saw it off or be connected to me _forever_?"

She sighed. "Alright, let's get the saw."

They walked out the doors of the ZPD and went to Nick's car.

"Finnick and I have a meeting to go to. We'll get the saw afterwards," Nick said as he started driving.

"What's the meeting?" Judy asked.

"He's doing business with the mafia. They're meeting up for a money exchange."

"You're a police officer and you're going to an illegal meeting with the mafia?!" Judy exclaimed.

"I'm not a part of this meeting. I'm going for moral support for a friend."

"Nick!"

"It'll be quick. We'll be in and out in no time, I promise."

The whole thing didn't sit well with Judy. She just knew something bad was going to happen. "You are going to get us in _so_ much trouble."

They drove for about 30 minutes and ended up at a mansion on the outskirts of Zootopia where Finnick was waiting outside.

"Why'd you bring her?!" Finnick exclaimed.

Nick held up their cuffed hands. "I had no choice. Can we borrow your saw after this?"

"I'll run home and get it. You picked a fine day to be handcuffed to Judy Hopps. Let's go."

"So who is this guy?" Judy asked.

"He's a mobster. Nick and I used to do business with him. I worked out a deal with him last week. He owes me money. Don't say anything. It's bad enough that you two are wearing police uniforms."

They got to the massive front doors and Finnick couldn't reach the doorbell so Nick reached out and rang it for him. They waited a few seconds and were greeted by huge polar bear guards in black suits.

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to see Emilio. We have a meeting," Finnick said.

They let him pass but stepped in front of Nick and Judy.

"They're friends. Emilio knows they're coming."

The guards glared at them but let them pass anyway.

The place was really nice and lavish, fit for royalty. Judy wondered how much of the beautiful things were acquired illegally. Just being in there made her skin crawl.

They were let to a big parlor room where a man in a very expensive looking Italian suit was sitting in a chair. Two women in tight sparkling dresses were on either side of him.

"Finnick, I'm glad you're here," he said with an Italian accent. He was calm but his voice portrayed no tone of greeting. It made Judy even more creeped out. She looked up at Nick and he seemed to be totally comfortable.

Emilio looked Nick and Judy up and down. "You brought the cops? You don't trust me Finnick?"

"You remember Nick Wilde," Finnick said. "He's um, involuntarily attached to his friend at the moment."

Nick raised the hand that was cuffed to Judy and waved. "How are you doing Emilio? It's been a while."

"Do you have the money?" Finnick asked.

"First the exchange."

Finnick reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny emerald ring. "Here you go. Lionhart's wife didn't notice a thing."

Judy gasped. Nick stepped on her foot to silence her.

Emilio took the ring and held it up to the light as if to see if it was real. "Good work. I'll pawn this immediately."

"You can't be serious!" Judy exclaimed.

All eyes turned to her. Nick and Finnick glared at her and mouthed "shut up!"

"You have a problem?" Emilio said with a voice portraying no emotion. That was probably scarier than if he were mad.

"You're pawning Lionhart's wife's jewelry! Don't you think they've noticed by now and they're going to trace this back here?!"

Finnick face palmed and swore under his breath. Nick leaned down to Judy. "Carrots, you've said enough. Stop talking _right now_."

The guards prepared for action but Emilio held up a hand to stop them and instead walked towards Judy. He smirked. "Judy Hopps, first bunny cop, ZPD prodigy, hero of Zootopia. As soon as I pawn this ring, no one is going to b able to find it and trace it back to anyone. Unless a certain noble cop were to go right to Lionhart and tell him. Are you going to do that Officer Hopps? You're the only witness. You can just as easily tell your whole ZPD and get us all behind bars forever. You gonna tell?"

Finnick was desperately gesturing for her to say no.

Judy sighed. "No, I'm not going to tell." It was against her better judgement and everything she stood for but she couldn't get Finnick, and even Nick, arrested.

Emilio looked satisfied. "Good." He tossed Finnick a bag. "Our exchange." He turned and walked back to his couch. "Don't bring her back here."

The three of them left the mansion.

"You just _had_ to get handcuffed to Judy, didn't you Nick?!" Finnick exclaimed.

"How was I supposed to know there was no key to these?" Nick said. He turned to Judy. "Here's a little life lesson for you carrots, when you're facing a mafia boss don't tell them you're going to arrest them. That's what gets you a bullet lodged in your brain."

"I can't believe either of you are okay with this," Judy said.

Finnick shrugged. "I do what I have to do to get by."

Judy looked at Nick. "And you?"

"That type of life is behind me now. I merely show up to provide moral support and possible defense to my friend." He turned to Finnick. "So about that saw."

"Yeah, I'll run home and get it and then meet up with you. Where are you gonna be?"

"We're going to my house," Judy said.

Finnick smirked contemplating dropping a sexual innuendo.

"Don't even go there," Nick said holding up his fist.

Finnick laughed and held up his hands defensively. "I will see you in a couple of hours."

Nick and Judy hopped in Nick's car and made their way back to Judy's house.

"Looks like we're gonna be pretty close until Fin gets back," Nick said. "What do you want to do?"

Judy looked away from him as she felt her face turning red. Something about the way he said them being pretty close made her heart beat fast. She always wanted to be close to him and now that they had no choice to be close together it made her nervous.

Nick lifted her chin which made her heart rate go wild. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Judy said waving it off like it didn't matter. "I'm perfectly fine. Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Well let's make dinner," she said leading him over to the kitchen.

"You've got nothing but rabbit food here," he said.

"That's not true." She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of hamburgers.

"You eat hamburgers?" he said surprised.

"I don't, but I figured if you were ever over I should probably have something that you would actually want to eat. You're welcome."

"That's very thoughtful of you Judy," Nick said gratefully.

"Don't mention it. Just help me cook. This is going to be hard enough as it is."

They began to put a hamburger for him and a veggie burger for her on the stove. They had to work together since they were attached. At first it was difficult but soon it got easier and it ended up being fun.

After dinner they cleaned the dishes together then sat on the couch and pulled out a deck of Uno cards to play several rounds.

"Skip you, skip again, draw four," Judy said as she put down cards."

"Damn it," Nick said picking up four cards from the deck. He had nothing to put down so Judy put down her last card.

"I win!"

Nick started to put the cards back into the deck. "Good game carrots."

Judy smirked. "Am I still annoying?"

"No, you're not," Nick admitted. "I meant it when I said you were amazing."

Judy was surprised to hear that. "Really?"

Nick leaned back on the couch. "Of course."

"Well, you are too," she said. She held up their cuffed hands. "And I guess this isn't _so_ bad. Although I'm never going with you to a mob meeting again."

"I wouldn't ask you to."

"Why? Because I almost got us murdered?"

"Well yes."

Judy laughed.

"But also because I don't want you wrapped up in that kind of life. It's dangerous and unfulfilling."

"Then why did you do it if that were the case?" she asked curiously.

"Because I didn't think I could do anything else," Nick said. "When you start doing stuff like that when you're 12, granted I didn't meet with mob bosses at that age but still, it's just what you're used to. I didn't think there was anything else out there for me to do to contribute some good to the world. Asking me to be your partner gave me a sense of purpose. It was the second greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

"What was the first?"

Nick hesitated as the toyed with her fingers nervously. "You coming into my life."

"You...you mean that?"

"Damn it Judy, of course I do. You make me happy, you make me feel whole. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Judy held his hands feeling overcome with happiness. "Nick, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I meant every word of it," he said moving closer to her. And he did. He'd finally told her how important she was to him. It was like ripping off a band aid. Maybe this could be the first step towards something more…

"Just fuck already!" shouted one of Judy's loud neighbors.

"You just ruined the moment! Even if they were, they're not going to now!" the roommate said.

"Oh fine. Sorry, carry on! Act like we're not here!"

"Would you shut up in there?!" Nick exclaimed.

Judy giggled finding the whole situation funny. Then she reached over and gave Nick a hug. "Thank you for coming into my life Nick," she said still laughing.

*WW*

The next morning when Judy woke up she felt unnaturally warm. When she tried to sit up she felt something weighing her down. She opened her eyes all the way and nearly fell off the couch when she saw Nick next to her. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand and tried to remember what happened last night.

They had gotten to her house, made dinner, and then there was that very sweet confession of how much they meant to each other. The thought made her smile. She had hugged him and they spent hours just laying there talking about everything from their lives to their families to their aspirations until they had drifted off to sleep.

It had been peaceful and fun. She couldn't remember ever having a night so amazing. Just being with him was perfect and sleeping next to him had only been a distant dream until this moment.

She hugged him close to her. He was asleep so he couldn't object, she might as well get it all out now. She circled her finger in a heart motion on his back as she watched him sleep. Normally he had a cocky "I know something you don't know" look about him and was always ready to say something smart. But when he slept he looked more innocent. She had never seen him so still and quiet and it was nice.

About ten minutes later he yawned and started to stir. When he opened his eyes he also looked surprised to be next to her.

'"Good morning," she said hoping he wouldn't immediately jump up and regret being next to her.

Instead he just smiled. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept amazing," she replied. "How about you?"

"Same." He sleepily buried his face in her neck. His breath was warm and the stubble on his face itched her skin in a pleasant way. Judy felt like she was floating on cloud nine. The two of them had never cuddled like this before. It was like a dream she didn't want to wake up from.

They lay there for so long she lost track of time. Eventually he loosened his hold on her and began to stretch.

"What should we do today?" she asked.

"No idea," he replied. "Although I'm wondering where the hell Fin is. Didn't he say he'd be here last night?"

"Yeah," Judy said. She didn't want this moment to end. She loved how affectionate he was being and she didn't want him to stop. But she would have to take what she could get, it was good while it lasted.

"Hand me my phone," Nick said.

She reached over to the side table and handed it to him.

Just as he was dialing Finnick's number there was a knock on the door.

The two of them got off the couch and went to answer it and sure enough Finnick was there with a big saw.

"Where the hell were you?!" Nick exclaimed.

"I fell asleep," Finnick said with a shrug.

"You fell asleep. What a lovely excuse!"


	4. Fireworks

**Chapter 4:**

Fireworks

Judy was in her apartment picking out her outfit for the day. It was the 4th of July and the ZPD was hosting a big cookout and that night they would be watching the spectacular Zootopia fireworks. It was her first big event in Zootopia and she was really excited. Not to mention the fireworks here were legendary.

She was in her underwear about to put on a pair of denim shorts and a red, white, and blue tank top, perfect for the occasion and the weather...and maybe to look pretty for a certain fox. Her and Nick hung out all the time outside of work but most of the time she was in her police uniform when he saw her. She finally had an occasion to dress up and look good for him and she wanted to look her best.

Then she realized how stupid she was being. Why would Nick care how she was dressed?

Just as she was about to get dressed the door opened.

"Judy are you ready to go?" Nick said as he opened the door. He looked up from his phone and jumped back when he saw Judy in her underwear. "Ah!"

"Ah!" she exclaimed. Her eyes quickly darted around for something to cover herself with but nothing big enough was in reach. Her face burned with embarrassment. Yes she wanted Nick to see her in something pretty, but not like this!

The two stood in silence for a moment both in shock that this had happened. His eyes involuntarily wandered around her body. She wore a pink lace bra and panties that hugged her body perfectly. Her breasts were succulent and her hips and butt were a perfect shape. Her body was curvy in all the right places and he couldn't help but wonder what she looked like without the underwear.

"Nick," she said realizing he was staring.

He snapped out of the beginnings of a daydream of pushing her down on the bed and unhooking her bra. "Huh? What?"

"Get out of here!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, right!" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry Judy. I'll, um, be outside."

He stepped out and closed the door behind him then sat on the floor in the hallway trying to calm his heartbeat. He'd imagined seeing Judy naked before. Yes they were partners at the ZPD and best friends but he was still a man with male needs and Judy was beautiful. Seeing her in her underwear she was perfect and sexy. It was an image he knew he would never be able to get out of his mind.

One of the antelope's who lived next to Judy suddenly walked past and noticed Nick sitting on the floor. "Were you that bad, man?"

"What?" Then he realized what he meant and glared at him. "No! We didn't…!"

"Hey, don't let me discourage you." Then he went into the apartment next door.

A few minutes later Judy's door opened and she walked out in some shorts and a tank top that he thought she looked equally gorgeous in.

"Ready to go?" she asked still embarrassed about before.

Nick stood up and cleared his throat. "Yeah, of course."

They went down and got into his car. There was an awkward silence until Nick decided it was time to break it.

"So, um...you look good in pink."

Judy's eyes got wide and she blushed even more. "Thanks," she said twisting her hair around her fingers feeling even more embarrassed than before.

Eventually they pulled up to Central Park where the cookout was. It was already lively with music playing, people running around playing games and flying kites, and it smelled absolutely delicious with the smell of grilled food already being made.

Assistant Mayor Maribel came over to them with Clawhauster.

"You're finally here!" Maribel said giving them both hugs.

"Fashionably late," Nick said with a smirk.

"Why do you two have that look on your face?" Clawhauster said. "Did something happen."

"What? No!" Judy said as she and Nick both blushed. "Nothing weird happened this morning."

"Absolutely nothing," Nick agreed.

Clawhauster shrugged. "Whatever. Looks like the food is done, come on!"

They went over to the food table and got some plates then Maribel pulled Judy aside.

"Did you and Nick make out this morning?"

"What?! No! Of course not!" Judy exclaimed.

"Then what happened?" Maribel said eagerly.

Judy sighed. "He saw me in my underwear."

"Oh my god! You actually…?!"

"Shh!" Judy exclaimed looking around to make sure no one heard. "It wasn't like that! He walked into my apartment while I was getting dressed and he saw me in my underwear. That was all."

"I wonder what he thought," Maribel said thoughtfully.

"Well...he was staring," Judy said blushing.

"Of course he was staring. He probably wanted to take it off."

"Maribel!"

"What? It's entirely possible."

"Things aren't like that with me and Nick. I doubt he wanted to see me completely naked." Although Judy wondered how right Maribel was and the thought made her happy.

"He's a _man_ , of course he wanted to see you completely naked."

Nick came over and sat on Judy's other side. "What are you two whispering about over here?"

"Nothing," Judy said waving it off.

"Aw come on, I won't tell anyone."

"I was telling Maribel how you fell out of your chair yesterday," Judy said with a smirk.

"I didn't fall! I did that on purpose," Nick said stubbornly.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the screaming when you fell backwards was entirely on purpose."

The rest of the afternoon was a lot of fun. They played some games and Giselle performed. The sun started to go down and it was almost fireworks time. Judy and Nick sat in the grass next to each other and made sure to have a perfect view of the sky.

"Zootopia fireworks are amazing," Nick said. "I think you're really gonna like it."

"I've been so excited to see it all week," Judy said happily.

The first firework was shot into the air and exploded into a beautiful array of red and blue light.

"Wow!" Judy exclaimed, her eyes glowing with excitement with every explosion.

Her happiness made Nick smile. She was always so bubbly and happy and it lit of his world.

She looked at him for a moment and they locked eyes. She blushed but she couldn't look away. His green eyes were mesmerizing. She felt like an idiot for staring at him so long and looked down but he surprised her by holding her hand. She looked down at their hands for a moment surprised and then looked back up at him and found him smiling at her. His smile made her happy. She leaned towards him and felt his warm breath. He leaned towards her as well and right before their lips could touch Clawhauster and Maribel ran over and sat next to him.

"Oh em goodness, these fireworks are the best they've ever been!" Clawhauster exclaimed.

Maribel dug her hand into the bag of popcorn she had gotten. "They've really outdone themselves this year!"

Nick and Judy realized how close they were and suddenly felt embarrassed. What were they doing? Were they really about to do this? They quickly looked away from each other and let go of their hands before Maribel and Clawhauster could notice anything.

Judy took a chance and looked at Nick but he was now focused on the fireworks. She sighed. Maybe she had been imagining things. Why would Nick want to kiss her?


	5. Meet The Parents

**Chapter 5:**

Meet The Parents

"So how are things going in Zootopia dear?" Mr Hopps asked over Facetime.

"Things have been super quiet right? No more bad guys or anything dangerous right? Mrs. Hopps asked.

"Oh sure mom and dad. Last week I apprehended four criminals involved in a shootout in downtown Zootopia," Judy said knowing that would throw them off. Sure enough they both gasped loudly. "And yesterday I hunted down a mad Polar Bear in a car chase."

Mrs. Hopps nearly fainted.

"Judy, you have to be more careful...what ever happened to being a meter maid?" Mr. Hopps said.

Judy sighed. "That was a temporary thing. I literally saved Zootopia...the world actually! My meter maid days are over!"

"Alright dear just...just be careful," Mrs. Hopps said.

"We meant to ask you if you wanted to spend the weekend over here Judy," Mr. Hopps said.

"Oh yes, we hardly ever see you anymore. We really miss you. Maria is going into the sixth grade and Tommy just lost a tooth last week."

Judy couldn't help but smile. "Sure, I'll come over."

All of a sudden the door to Judy's apartment opened and Nick walked in.

"I'm letting myself in," he announced.

"Sure, you can come in," Judy said rolling her eyes.

"Judy, who's that?" Mrs. Hopps asked.

"That's just my partner Nick," Judy said. "He often comes in uninvited."

Nick gave her a thumbs up from where he was digging through the refrigerator. "You know you love me, carrots."

"We didn't know you had a partner," Mr. Hopps said.

"She needs one to keep her from dying on a regular basis," Nick said pulling out bread and peanut butter.

"We want to meet him," Mrs. Hopps said.

"You do?" Judy said resisting the urge to blush. It wasn't like her and Nick were dating, she shouldn't feel awkward about it.

"Of course we do. Anyone who is a partner of yours we want to meet."

"Well, okay. Do you want to meet my parents Nick?"

Nick shrugged as he bit into his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Sure, why not?"

"Wonderful! We'll see you both this weekend!"

*WW*

A few days later they were in Judy's car driving towards Bunnyville.

"So where is this place again?" Nick asked.

"In the middle of damn nowhere," Judy replied. "You'll see why I had to leave. I couldn't stay here forever."

Nick snickered. "I think you would have made a very good carrot farmer."

Judy pushed his arm. "Whatever."

"What's your family like?"

"Well I have ten brothers and sisters…"

"Ten brothers and sisters?!" Nick exclaimed. "Damn, and I thought being an only child was rough."

"And I'm the oldest out of all of them. I have a twin sister, Clara, but don't let her tell you she's older," Judy said. "Imagine how much fun that is. And my parents are a little uptight but they're nice."

"Do you think they'll like me?"

Judy hesitated. "Well…"

Nick wasn't expecting that reaction. "Well what? You think they won't like me?"

"It's not that, my parents are just a little…"

"Let me guess, they don't like foxes?"

Judy sighed. "It's not that they don't like foxes, it's just…"

"Just what?!"

"Remember the fox repellant?" Judy finally said.

Nick's eyes got wide. "No…!"

"They're not that bad anymore, I _swear_!"

Nick crossed his arms. "But you didn't tell them I'm a fox, did you?"

"Would you stop? It doesn't matter." She put her hand on his. "My parents are going to like you either way."

He looked down at her hand on his. It felt nice and warm. Then he looked up and they made eye contact. She blushed and pulled her hand back realizing what she was doing. He blushed as well and they sat in awkward silence for a while.

Eventually they pulled up to Judy's parents house.

"Home sweet home," Judy said as they got out of the car. They hauled their bags to the front door and Judy rang the doorbell.

"Judy! You're here!" Mrs. Hopps said giving her a hug.

"Hi mom," Judy said.

Mrs. Hopps froze when she saw Nick. "And, um, I take it this is your friend…"

"Nick Wilde," Nick said extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you Nick. Judy, you didn't tell me Nick is a…"

Suddenly a smaller bunny ran up behind them. "He's a fox!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, wonderful, we all realize that I'm a fox. Let's move on now," Nick said.

Judy squeezed his hand comfortingly. "Something smells really good in here," she said changing the subject.

"Oh you're just in time, I'm making carrot crumble cookies just for the occasion," Mrs. Hopps said obviously distracted from the fox thing.

"Carrot crumble cookies?" Nick said. He'd had a lot of cookies but carrot crumble didn't sound very appetizing.

"They're delicious, I promise," Judy said realizing the skepticism.

"Maria, how about you take Judy and Nick upstairs and show them the rooms we set up for them?" Mrs. Hopps said.

"Sure," the little girl bunny said. They followed her upstairs. She looked like a younger version of Judy. Nick imagined her being just as strong willed and beautiful as Judy in a few years too. "You're really hot. No wonder Judy likes you so much."

Judy froze with embarrassment. "Maria…!"

Nick smirked. "Oh really? Tell me more Maria."

"She talks about you all the time."

"Maria stop!"

"She said you're an ass but she forgives you because you're so sweet."

Judy ran her hands through her hair mortified. "Just stop talking Maria!"

"That's nice of her," Nick said elbowing Judy who wouldn't look at him. "I think she's very sweet too."

Judy could feel her face burning but secretly she liked hearing him say that.

"Oh my god, Judy, you're here!" said the bunny who came around the corner. She reached out and gave Judy a hug. Nick did a double take when he saw her. The resemblance to Judy was uncanny. The only difference between them was Clara had darker hair and while Judy dressed a bit edgier with a cropped tank top and a plaid shirt tied around her waist, Clara wore a checkered pink dress reminescent of a farm girl.

"Clara!" Judy exclaimed. She turned to Nick. "Nick, this is Clara. Clara, this is Nick."

Clara looked Nick up and down with the same distaste her mother had. "So _this_ is Nick."

Nick held out his hand to her. "Nice to meet you Clara."

Clara shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too Nick. So um, how long have you two known each other?"

"About 5 months," Judy replied. "We're partners at the ZPD."

Clara nodded stiffly. "Mm hmm, I see. Well, you two make yourselves at home. I'll see you at dinner." With that she went downstairs.

Nick could sense an odd tension coming off of Clara and he didn't know what to think of it. "What's wrong with Clara?"

Judy shrugged. "She's probably just tired or something. She's really sweet, I promise."

An hour later it was dinner time and Mr. Hopps had come home from the farm. "I'm home everyone...who let the fox in here?!" he exclaimed when he saw Nick sitting on the floor with Judy and her siblings playing Monopoly.

Nick stood up and extended his hand to Mr. Hopps. "I'm Nick Wilde sir, Judy's friend…"

"Judy's friend huh?" Mr. Hopps said suspiciously. He was not very pleased to see that Nick was a fox. "Judy, would you come into the kitchen with me?"

Judy rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"Why didn't you tell us Nick was a fox?!" Mr. Hopps said once they got into the kitchen where Mrs. Hopps was finishing up dinner and Clara was setting the table. Clara looked up and smirked when she saw Judy come in with their father.

Judy sighed. "Why does it matter that he's a fox? I thought you guys didn't care anymore."

"Of course not but when someone close to you is a fox then we have a reason to be worried."

"Stu, give him a chance," Mrs. Hopps said.

"You know how foxes are!"

"Dad, that's not true!" Judy exclaimed.

"You should listen to dad, Judy," Clara said. "You know we're all just looking out for you."

"He's very kind I swear. You've just got to get to know him."

"I don't know dear…" Mr. Hopps said.

"Would a vicious fox be doing this?!" She opened the door and gestured to Nick playing Simon Says with her youngest brothers and sisters.

"Nick, Simon didn't say touch your toes! You're out!" they said.

"Alright, alright," Nick said. He looked down at the younger one who had been hugging his tail for the past 15 minutes. "Having fun little one?"

"Your tail is fluffy," he said.

Judy closed the door and crossed her arms. "Well?"

Mr. Hopps sighed. "Well...I guess I'll give him a chance." He still didn't look happy about it but Judy figured she had won for now.

"Dinner is ready," Mrs. Hopps said.

Everyone sat down for dinner to the delicious food Mrs. Hopps had made.

"So how did you two meet?" Mr. Hopps asked suspiciously.

Nick chuckled. "Long story."

"I caught him illegally distributing products and hustling people. Also tax evasion," Judy replied.

Mr. and Mrs. Hopps nearly spit out their drinks. Judy's younger siblings giggled. Clara hid another smirk.

"And through a long series of events he helped me solve the predators case and I asked him to be my partner," Judy said.

"And of course I accepted. Someone has to be the brains on this team," Nick said.

"You the brains? It's definitely me," Judy said.

"Who saves your tail on a daily basis?"

"I do my fair share of saving your tail you sly fox."

"So Nick, where are you from?" Mrs. Hopps asked.

"I grew up in a town outside of Zootopia. I moved there to make a name for myself."

"Hustling people?" Mr. Hopps said disapprovingly.

Nick shrugged. "It was fast money."

"What did your parents think of that?"

"Well I never knew my dad," Nick replied. "And my mother died a few years ago. I never told her about it. It wasn't something she needed to know."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mrs. Hopps said.

"Don't worry about it. Judy is lucky to have such a big family around though. I think it's really nice to be able to come home to such a supportive family every now and then and have fresh made cookies."

"Well you're welcome into our home whenever you want," Mrs. Hopps said starting to rethink her opinion of Nick. She turned to Judy and gave a smile of approval. "Any friend of Judy's is a friend of ours."

"How did you and Judy get together anyway?" Clara asked curiously.

"I bet it was romantic," said Maria.

"What?" Nick said confused.

"When do you and Judy plan on getting married?" Mrs. Hopps asked.

Nick and Judy looked away from each other and blushed when they realized what was going on. "We're not…"

"I think when you have children you'll want to settle down somewhere quiet. Zootopia is much too crazy to raise a family in," Mr. Hopps said.

"Nick and I aren't dating," Judy interrupted.

"What?!" Maria exclaimed.

"We're just friends," Judy said.

"You said you were partners," Mrs. Hopps said.

"Partners at the ZPD, not life partners or anything," Nick said.

"Yeah." Judy said. Then she realized that her and Nick were holding hands under the table. How did that happen?!

He seemed to notice it too and they quickly pulled their hands apart.

"Just _friends_."

*WW*

That evening Nick was sitting in the hammock out in the backyard looking up at the stars. Everyone else was asleep but he didn't seem to be able to. He always found sitting outside comforting when he couldn't sleep and being in Bunnyville was much different than Zootopia. He could actually see a sky full of stars and it was interesting.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he met Judy's family. Sure enough he had a good time here. Her siblings were funny and sweet and seemed to really admire her. Clara was weird but she seemed nice enough. It was her parents that worried him.

He had hoped to make a good impression with them. It was clear from the beginning that they didn't like foxes. He tried his hardest to change their minds but he wasn't sure if it worked. Suppose he and Judy were to start dating one day, what would it mean if her parents hated him? Would he ever be accepted into their family?

He heard footsteps and looked up seeing Judy come towards her in her pajamas. "What are you doing out here?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure."

He moved over and she lay next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they looked up at the stars. It reminded her of a few weeks ago when they were handcuffed and they cuddled on her couch. It made her happy.

"What does your family really think of me?"

"They love you Nick."

"Doesn't seem like it."

Judy hesitated knowing he was right. "Just give them time."

"I'm not that type of fox. I don't want the world to see me that way. I try to change what people think but when it doesn't work it's kind of like...what's the point?"

"You're so much more than that. You're the kindest most amazing person I've ever met and if people won't accept that then it's their problem...even my family. But trust me, they do like you. My siblings think you're great. And my mom told me that she thinks you're really nice."

"And your dad?"

"Well...we'll work on him. Don't let it get to you, okay?"

He hugged her. "You always know just what to say Judy."

*WW*

They spent a very fun couple of days with Judy's family. Mr. and Mrs. Hopps seemed to accept that Nick was a fox and grudgingly accepted the fact that they weren't dating. But all of Judy's siblings were convinced that the two liked each other and placed bets on when they would get together.

At the end of the weekend they said goodbye to everyone and got in Judy's car to go home.

"Your family is really nice," Nick said.

"I told you they would like you," she said.

He smirked. "You didn't seem so sure before."

"Well I knew they would. There's nothing to not like about you. You're smart, funny, cute...wait, did I say cute? I didn't mean that! I mean, well, I didn't mean it like _that…_ "

Nick reached over and held Judy's hand, deliberately this time. "You're cute too ya dumb bunny."

She glanced at him and smiled, her face rapidly turning red. "Sly fox."


	6. Dumb Bunny

**Chapter 6:**

Dumb Bunny

"Shut up!" Judy exclaimed as she and Nick walked into the police station.

"You just can't admit that it's true," Nick said.

"You can't admit that you're wrong!"

"See, you get all defensive when you know I'm right. Which is why you're a dumb bunny."

"What are you arguing about?" Clawhauster asked.

The two started talking at the same time until Clawhauster shushed them. "I can't understand a word you're saying when you're yelling at me like this."

"Answer one question for us Clawhauster, aren't bunnies scientifically proven to be intellectually superior to foxes?" Judy said.

"That's so not true!" Nick exclaimed. "Foxes are way more superior."

"Says who?!" Judy said angrily.

"Says everyone! You're just a tiny little bunny who doesn't understand the way the world works," Nick said with a smirk.

Clawhauster began to type on the computer. "According to Google, bunnies and foxes are the same intellectually...but cheetah's are much more superior than both of you!"

Judy and Nick looked shocked.

"It doesn't say that," Nick said.

Clawhauster turned the computer so they could see and indeed it was true.

"Damn," Nick said still surprised.

"Who's the dumb one now?" Judy said sticking her tongue out at Nick.

"Still you."

They went into the meeting room with all of the cops where Bogo was handing out assignments for the day. Nick and Judy were the last to get theirs. Nick was leaning back in his chair sipping coffee, Judy was crossing her fingers hoping for something good.

"So what's the deal today chief?" Nick said.

"I have a special assignment for you two," Bogo said. "Mayor Lionhart has been kidnapped."

That definitely got Nick's attention. "What?!"

"We've got word that there are two grizzly bears in charge of a plot to take down Zootopia. Lionhart went missing late last night and we think there's a connection. Your goal for today is to find Lionhart. Wherever he is, that's where the criminals should be. I want them in custody as soon as possible."

"You can count on us Bogo!" Judy said.

She and Nick hopped down from their chairs and left the office to look over the case file which contained pictures of the two suspects and where they were last seen.

"In downtown Zootopia, at the corner of 5th and Main," Nick said. "Last seen by James Pantherton."

"So we find this Pantherton guy and see what he knows. We should also check the security cameras," Judy said. "You contact Pantherton and I'll look at the cameras."

"You got it."

They went to their office where Nick began to look up James Pantherton's address while Judy perused the security cameras in downtown Zootopia. As she was looking her phone rang.

"Judy Hopps," she said when she answered.

"Judy, it's Maribel," Maribel said sounding panicked.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. City Hall is a mess. Word has gotten out that Mayor Lionhart is gone and I've been answering questions and running the place as best I can all morning. Please tell me you're looking for Mayor Lionhart!"

"We are Maribel, don't worry. We'll find him by the end of the day." As she spoke she found the security camera where the grizzly's were spotted. They got out of a car and seemed to be having a violent conversation with a panther who looked to be James Pantherton.

"Thank you Judy! Oh and when you get a chance, come down to City Hall. I know something about the case that could be really important to you."

"We'll be there as soon as we can Maribel. Thanks!" She hung up the phone and just as she did she saw something interesting on the camera. Pantherton gave a box to the grizzly bears and the bears drove off. Judy tried to follow them but they seemed to disappear. "Interesting."

"What?" Nick said looking over her shoulder.

Judy rewinded it. "What do you think of that?"

"Either Pantherton is in cahoots with the bears or he's just a real idiot. By the way I found his address. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, we also have to go to City Hall. Maribel knows something."

It didn't take long for them to get to City Hall and sure enough the place seemed to be falling apart. People who worked at City Hall were running around frantically trying to get things done and reporters were everywhere trying to get the scoop on Mayor Lionhart's disappearance.

They found Maribel being chased down by some reporters asking her countless questions. She noticed them and gestured for them to follow her to her office. When the reporters saw Nick and Judy they took that opportunity to ask them questions as well.

"Do you have any leads on Mayor Lionhart's disappearance?"

"Is he dead?"

"Is this all some conspiracy theory?"

"Assistant Mayor Maribel, what do you plan to do in Lionhart's absence?"

"What is your plan now that he's gone?"

They got to her office and Maribel locked the door. She leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

"It's been like this _all_ day! I haven't gotten a break!"

"Looks like you need more than a break," Nick said.

"What did you have to tell us about Lionhart?" Judy asked.

"Lionhart has been whispering about some plot to take down Zootopia for a while now. He's been trying to keep it under wraps. He won't even talk to me about it. All I know is that these guys came in from the forest region trying to stir things up a little bit, that's where their headquarters is. I don't know what they plan to do with Lionhart or with Zootopia but it can't be good."

"Do you know a James Pantherton by any chance? We have him down as the last person who saw him," Nick said.

"Oh I know him! Very kind man, he helped me jump my car a few weeks ago."

"We have him on surveillance footage talking to the grizzly bears and giving them a package," Judy said.

Maribel's eyes got wide. "That can't be good. I would find him fast. He might be in on it with them and know where Lionhart is. You two had better get going!"

"Thanks Maribel!" Judy said.

The next place they went to is the address Nick found for James Pantherton. But when they got there the house was empty.

Judy banged on the door. "Mr. Pantherton, open up! This is Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde from the ZPD! We just want to ask a few questions!"

Still no response.

"He must not be home," Judy said.

"Or he ran off," Nick said gesturing to the open side door. "If I were trying to run away from the cops who were right around the corner, I'd find the nearest inconspicuous escape route," he said walking around to where the open door was. "But if i were trying to escape I'd have a much easier time of it because I'm not as big as a panther." He pointed to the leveled bushes and plants that could only have been caused by an panther.

"Good call," Judy said impressed. She was glad to have Nick by her side. She never would have thought of that.

They followed the trail until they came to a dead end and James Pantherton had clearly discovered that as well.

"Mr. Pantherton, we know you're here," Nick said. "You're not in trouble, we just want to know what happened."

The black panther stepped out from behind the trees looking very nervous. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"We know, we just want to know what happened that night so we can save Zootopia. You'll be a hero if you tell us," Judy said calmly.

"Alright well...it all started a few months ago really. I met Xavier and Ronaldo Grizzly at a racing event. We were placing bets on who the winners would be. Then they started talking about how they wanted to be friends and they needed help with their cause. I got interested and we met up to talk about it later. Turns out their cause was to take over Zootopia, it was going to be the first city of a world run by predators. After the whole incident with the prey a few months ago, they thought it seemed appealing. I didn't want to go through with it but they said they'd get rid of me if I told anyone. And if I went through with it I would have a seat of power in their new world order."

As he spoke Nick didn't trust him. Something didn't seem right about this guy. He was sure he was hiding something.

"Go on," Judy said.

"They orchestrated the plan to kidnap Mayor Lionhart."

"Were you a part of that in any way?"

"No, of course not!"

Yes you were, Nick thought. He could see it in the man's eyes.

"What happened a few nights ago in downtown Zootopia?" Judy asked.

"I was passing on a message from another grizzly. That's all. I swear. I don't know what was in the box. They drove off afterwards. I haven't seen them since. I'm not a bad guy, honest. I was just wrapped up in a really messy situation. Don't tell them I told you anything, I don't want to know what they'll do to me!"

"Don't worry James," Judy said. "We'll have them behind bars in no time. Thank you for your information. You said they're staying in the rainforest region?"

"Yes, that's right," James said.

"I guess it's time to go find them." Judy turned to go.

"Oh I can't let you do that," James said suddenly menacing. He lunged for Judy but Nick thought fast. He knew this guy wasn't to be trusted and he was waiting for the right moment to strike. He pulled out his gun and jumped in front of Judy just before James could get her.

"Don't take another step!" Nick said. James froze. Judy looked over her shoulder in shock.

"I'm an innocent man, Wilde," James said with a smirk putting his hands up.

"I'll believe that when I believe the earth is flat," Nick said. "What really happened the day you met Xavier and Ronaldo?"

"Like I said, we watched a game, placed some bets, and had a conversation."

"And the thought of a predator ruled world appealed to you," it wasn't a question. "You went in voluntarily."

"They did threaten to kill me if I backed out."

"But you wouldn't. What was in the box? I know you know. Talk!"

"The keys to Lionhart's office...the bomb to be planted to blow up downtown Zootopia," James said with another smirk.

"Where can we find the grizzly's?"

"I'm not telling you."

"You've got three seconds to tell me!" Nick said threateningly. "Three….two….!"

"Alright, alright!" James exclaimed putting his hands up again. "They've got this really fancy house in the forest region, really nice, right on the eastern side of Zootopia. They hide out in the guest house. It's hidden in the trees but once you get there you can't miss it!"

Judy began to cuff him. "You're under arrest."

They got him in the car and took him down to go through arrest procedures then explained to Bogo who was alarmed to find out what was going on.

"I'll set to work having everyone find the bomb. You two go to the forest region and find those damn grizzly bears. Don't let them get away. We'll be there shortly."

They got back in the car and headed off to find the bears.

"How did you know Pantherton was lying?" Judy asked still upset with herself that she hadn't caught it.

"It was in his body language," Nick replied. "He looked a little too comfortable. You wanna tell me again that bunnies have the superior intellect?"

Judy glared at him. "Would you stop?"

"Who figured out where he was and got him to tell the truth? Nick two, Judy zero. Told you you were a dumb bunny."

"I am not a dumb bunny!" Judy exclaimed. She crossed her arms and looked out the window.

Nick realized he had hurt her feelings and felt bad. He reached over the put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Judy, I was just playing around."

"Well it's not funny."

"I know. I'm sorry. You're the smartest bunny I've ever known. I'm lucky to have you by my side."

She looked up and him and found that he looked sincere. "You really mean that?"

"Of course I do. You've saved my ass plenty of times. If I didn't have you I'd be lying in a gutter somewhere."

She giggled. "I'm lucky to have you too."

When they arrived it was dark outside. They got out the car and it didn't take long for them to find the house. They made their way inside, making sure to stay quiet as to not draw attention to themselves. It seemed like a normal guest house with a living room and kitchen, upstairs and downstairs, plants and decorations. But something about it was eerie. These were the guys planning to take down Zootopia and have a world full of predators. Whatever happened, they could not let them win.

"If I were a grizzly bear, where would I hide Mayor Lionhart?" Nick wondered.

"The basement," Judy suggested. For some reason she had a feeling that if they went to the basement things wouldn't seem as normal. And she was right. As they creeped down to the basement things got weirder. There were lists of plans, pictures of people and places, and in the corner was a lion tied to a chair.

"Mayor Lionhart!" Judy said.

The two ran over and Nick took the tape off his mouth.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked.

"Okay? No I'm not okay! These fools are about to take over my city!" Lionhart exclaimed.

"We're going to make sure that doesn't happen sir," Judy said as she began to untie him.

Nick got on his phone and began to call for backup. "Bogo, we've found Mayor Lionhart. The grizzly's are hiding out at the eastern district of the forest region. We haven't seen them yet…"

Suddenly the door slammed open and two black grizzly bears entered not looking pleased in the slightest.

"Nevermind, they're here now," Nick said.

"Well, well, well, another predator to join our cause. And you brought us a little snack," said the bigger of the two bears who they could only assume was Xavier.

"Your plans are finished!" Judy said defiantly. "We're not letting you take over Zootopia."

"Why? Because of our inherent 'savage' nature?" Xavier said sarcastically. "Oh yes, we haven't forgotten, Officer Hopps."

"You see, when that little plan to get rid of the predators came to light, we realized where we stand in the world," Ronaldo said. "We realized, if that's how you feel then we don't need you either!"

"That was _one_ crazy sheep!" Nick said.

"Yeah, no one else wants to get rid of the predators!" Judy said.

"The predators of the world are going to rise up and take back what's ours! The prey are only holding us back."

"Don't you want power?" Xavier said to Nick and Lionhart. " _True_ power? Not having to appeal to small folks like her?" he pointed to Judy. "We're meant to rule over them! If we exerted our true power, what would they be able to do?"

"I'll have you know that Judy Hopps is the strongest and bravest person I've ever known in my life!" Nick said. "It's not about who's a predator and who's prey. It's about getting along and making the world better and you two have clearly missed the memo."

"Enough talk Xavier, get them!"

Judy, Nick, and Lionhart ran for the door. Ronaldo threw a chair at them. They ducked and it missed them by inches and flew into the glass door shattering it. The three of them jumped through the broken door as the bears crashed through it after them. They weren't alone, outside several more bears converged on the scene all seeming to be on the same side as the grizzly's.

"Chief Bogo, we need backup, now!" Judy exclaimed as she paged the rest of the officers who were on their way.

Eight bears had converged around them. Nick and Judy were back to back with their weapons in hand.

"Ready carrots?" Nick said to her.

"Ready sly fox."

The bears charged them and Nick and Judy did everything they could to take them down and so far it seemed to be working. Lionhart however was uselessly cowering in fear.

"Mayor Lionhart, a little help here?!" Nick exclaimed.

A bear ran at Lionhart and in an act of panic he punched him in the face. "I got him?" the mayor said in shock. "Oh my god! I got him! I really got him!"

Suddenly Xavier pulled out a gun. "I'm ending this right now."

"Get down!" Nick shouted as soon as he saw it.


	7. Losing You

**Chapter 7:**

Losing You

In all of the chaos it had happened so fast. Nick managed to taser the last criminal. Once he had him down he cuffed him.

"Fuck you, Wilde," Xavier growled looking up at Nick who was standing over him.

"Looks like _you're_ the one who got fucked over," Nick said with a smirk. "Never mess with me and Judy Hopps."

That's when he realized something. He looked around frantically. Where was Judy?!

"Judy!" he called. He left the grizzly where he was and ran off to find Judy. His heart was pounding fast. Cold sweat ran down his forehead. "Judy!" he called again. He heard nothing. "Dear god, please let her be okay," he said to himself as he looked frantically back and forth. What had he been thinking? That was the problem, he _wasn't_ thinking. He should have been keeping an eye on her. He felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest from panic. He didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to Judy.

He heard a faint groan. He looked in the direction where it came from and nearly screamed. Judy was laying on the cement motionless. She was surrounded by something dark, he realized it was blood.

"Judy!" he shouted. He ran over and bent down next to her. He gently lifted her head. Her breathing was ragged. She opened her eyes halfway. They looked glassy.

"N-Nick…" she whispered.

"Shh, don't say anything," he said wiping the tears from her eyes although they were now falling freely from his own. "You're gonna be okay Judy. I'm right here. The rest of the force is coming. They're going to help you."

She reached out her shaking hand to his. He held it tightly. It felt cold. Her eyes were starting to close. He began to panic. "Judy! Judy, stay with me!" He put his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes now sobbing. "I need you Judy. Please, don't leave me!"

He had never been so relieved to hear sirens in his life. Several cop cars pulled up to the scene and the officers began to put the criminals in their cars to take them to jail.

"Bogo! Somebody! Judy's hurt!" Nick shouted.

Bogo and several other officers ran over immediately when they saw Nick on the ground with Judy. "Officer Hopps!" Bogo said in shock. "What happened?!"

"I think she was shot," Nick said. He could barely speak through the panic and fear rising in his chest. "We need to get her to the hospital now! She's going to die!"

Within seconds Judy was loaded onto a stretcher and taken into the ambulance. Nick didn't leave her side. Her eyes closed. She went unconscious.

"What's wrong with her?!" Nick exclaimed thinking she had died.

"She's going to be fine Officer Wilde," the EMT said calmly. "The wound doesn't seem too bad. She's going to be okay."

That didn't make Nick's fears subside any less.

When they arrived at the hospital he wasn't allowed to go into the surgery room with her. It seemed like an eternity while he waited in the hallway pacing back and forth wondering whether Judy was going to die or not.

"Nick."

He stopped walking back and forth and saw Bogo approaching him.

"What happened?" Bogo asked gesturing for him to sit. They both sat on bench. Nick explained everything from when they had discovered where to find the criminals, they had found Lionhart in the basement and they attacked, they had opened fire and Judy had gotten hit.

"It's all my fault," Nick said. "I should have protected her. I should have done something. It should be me in there, not her."

Bogo put his hand on Nick's shoulder. "It's no one's fault. These things happen. We put our lives on the line every day. We know what we're getting into. We know that there could be that one fateful moment where we don't come back. Judy knew and she was brave. That's what makes her a hero."

"She is a hero," Nick said. "She's the bravest woman I've ever known." He looked towards the surgery room. "Is she going to die Bogo?"

"The doctors said it's not as bad as it looks," Bogo said. "But none of us can know the answers to these things. If Hopps died, it would be a great loss to the ZPD...and the world."

Nick put his face in his hands resisting the urge to cry again. If Judy died, he didn't know how he would live without her.

Suddenly the door opened and the surgeon walked out. Nick hopped out of his seat. "How is she?"

"She's going to be fine," the doctor said.

"Can I go see her?"

"Of course. She's asleep now. She should be awake soon."

Nick practically ran into the room where Judy was laying under the covers on the bed in the center of the room. It was quiet. Too quiet. He wasn't used to Judy being so still and silent. She was usually full of life and bursting with energy. Seeing her like this made his heart sink.

He pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. He held her hand in his. It was tiny but soft. It was like it fit into his hand perfectly. Her beautiful violet eyes were closed and her face was expressionless.

The longer he watched her, the more he realized something that he had never known the full extent of until now. He needed her in his life. She had changed him in ways he would never have imagined. She made him a better person. She made him _happy_. Her mere presence was enough to light up his life. If he didn't have Judy in his life he would be nothing but a sleazy con man, a sly fox with no place in society. For that he was grateful to her. He was grateful to her for everything. For showing him what he was meant to do in life...and showing him what _love_ was.

He was crying again but he didn't try to hide it this time. He ran his fingers through her soft hair and pressed his lips to her cheek.

"I need you Judy. I need you in my life," he said through his tears. "I love you."

Judy opened her eyes slowly. It was like she was surfacing above the water after sitting at the bottom of the ocean for hours. She didn't remember much. She remembered discovering the whereabouts of the grizzly bears, she remembered hearing an awful bang and a searing pain. And she remembered being in Nick's arms as she slowly drifted away to die. She remembered thinking if that was how she was going to go, then she wouldn't want it any other way than to be in his arms like that.

Her vision and her mind became more in focus. The first thing she saw was Nick. His hand was in hers and tears were pouring down his face as he cried.

"Nick?" she whispered.

"Judy!" he exclaimed.

"Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that you dumb bunny! Are _you_ okay?!"

She smiled. Same old Nick. "I feel like I just got hit by a train...but other than that I'm fine."

He held her hand tighter. "Damn it Judy, I thought...I thought I was going to lose you."

She reached up and wiped the tears from his face. She had never seen Nick cry like this before, let alone over her. It surprised her and at the same time it touched her to know that he really cared about her this much. "Shh, Nick, it's okay. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. You'll never lose me."

"I need you Judy. I don't know what I would ever do without you."

"I don't know what I would do without you either Nick."

The two locked eyes for a moment and smiles touched their face.

"Want to lay next to me?" she asked.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." She managed to moved over a little bit and he got under the covers next to her holding her close to him. He never wanted to let go.


	8. Taking Care Of Her

**Chapter 8:**

Taking Care Of Her

Nick didn't leave Judy's side for the rest of the night. Even when she was fast asleep he stayed away for as long as he could to make sure she was okay. He was paranoid that something would go wrong and something terrible would happen to her. And even more so he just wanted to be in presence. The day had been very scary. He had almost lost the one person who meant more to him than anything in the entire world. He felt like he had to protect her at all costs.

She was allowed to go home the next morning which was good because the hospital was dreary and boring, the exact opposite of everything Judy liked and was. Nick took it upon himself to carry her out of the hospital.

"Nick, I can walk you know," she said.

"You're still hurt. There's no way you're going to be allowed to walk right away."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Yes sir." She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. If Nick was going to take care of her all day she would let him.

He took her home and putt her on the couch. He made sure she was comfortable with pillows and blankets.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"I'm starving."

"I'll make you breakfast."

"You don't have to."

"Yes I do." He ran his fingers through her hair. His hand was warm and soft. She held it for a second and the two locked eyes for a moment. "I'm taking care of you today carrots, deal with it."

She giggled. "Okay."

He set to work making them waffle and eggs for breakfast. When he was done he brought her a plate and a glass of orange juice.

"This is delicious!" said said after she tried it. "You're a great chef."

"You think all I did before I met you was cheat people out of money?" he said with a smirk.

On the TV they noticed Mayor Lionhart was giving a speech to the citizens of Zootopia. Word had gotten out about his kidnapping quickly. People had been afraid and no one knew what was going on. Now that he was back it was time to address the crowd.

"It's been a tumultuous couple of days but first and foremost I want to inform you all that the criminals in question have been taken into custody thanks to the ZPD, specifically Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps. Second, yes the rumors are true that the whole thing was a plot to have the predators take over Zootopia. It's no secret of hidden unrest between predators and prey but I want to remind everyone that each and everyone one of you in Zootopia, no matter who you are, are valued by me and everyone else. We are all a part of this world together and we must live as one."

"Do you think someone will try something like this again?" Judy asked.

"I hope not," Nick replied. If so he was going to make sure Judy was safe. "Do you need anything? Are you in any pain?"

"No, I'm fine…" Then she felt a sharp pain. "Okay, maybe a little bit."

He gave her the medicine the doctors prescribed her and held her in his arms for a few minutes afterwards.

Judy was surprised by his actions. It wasn't the first time they had cuddled on the couch but he was being so affectionate today. She loved it. She loved having any excuse in the book to be close to him, even if for a few minutes, but even still it was unusual.

"Nick, why are you being so nice to me today?"

"Aren't I always nice to you Judy?" he asked confused.

"Well yeah, but you're being even nicer than usual. What's up?"

Nick was silent for a moment. How could he possibly convey to her how much he cared about her and how much she meant to him. "I feel like this whole thing is my fault. If I had done more to protect you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"It's not your fault," she said. "If anything it's mine, I was careless. You were the brave one yesterday, not me."

"Don't say that, you're always brave Judy. I admire you for it, I really do." He took a deep breath. "I was really scared yesterday Judy. Terrified actually. I thought I was going to lose you. You have no idea how important you are to me." He felt the tears coming back and he fought to hold them back. "If I ever lost you...I don't know what I would do."

Judy felt her eyes stinging with tears as well. She had no idea Nick cared about her that much. She hugged him tightly. "You're important to me too Nick. You're the most important person in my life. I really meant it yesterday when I said I'm lucky to have you. I always will be."

He hugged her back. "Same here Judy."

She felt the pain meds starting to kick in as she started to get drowsy. She knew she would be asleep in seconds. As she drifted off, she did so with a big smile on her face. He was by her side and he always would be. Maybe one day, she would have the guts to tell him that she loved him. But for the moment, being close to him like this was enough.

The time was now, he had to tell her. He'd come to realize how precious time was, how in a blink of an eye she could be taken away from him. He couldn't wait forever to tell her. Even if she didn't reciprocate, he couldn't go through life without her knowing.

"I love you Judy," he finally whispered.

She didn't respond. Crap, maybe she really didn't love him back.

But when he looked down at her he saw that she was fast asleep. He sighed. He'd tell her another time. For now, just being with her was enough.

*WW*

Judy recovered quickly from her injuries and was back at work within no time. It was hard to keep her still long enough to recover because she was always a bouncing ball of energy. But Nick was by her side every chance he could making sure she was comfortable and happy.

She returned to the police station a couple of weeks later. She was beyond excited to get back to work. Sitting around recovering was boring. She needed some action in her life and she was eager to see what the next assignment Bogo gave her would be.

"I wanna kick some bad guy ass today," Judy said as she and Nick headed towards the station.

Nick laughed. "It's your first day back, you really think Bogo is going to give you a crazy assignment right off the bat?"

"He should. I can handle it. We need to go out and fight vigilante style!"

"I think you're getting a little too ahead of yourself carrots. Let's just get through today."

She pushed his arm playfully. "Aw, you're no fun!"

She walked through the door of the police station.

"SURPRISE!"

She stared in shock. There were balloons and decorations everywhere. Pizza and cake were on a big table. There was a big banner that said "Welcome Back Judy!" All of the cops, Clawhauster, Maribel, and even Mayor Lionhart were there.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "What is all this?"

"It hasn't been the same without you around here," Clawhauster said.

"We just wanted to show you how much we love you Judy," Maribel said giving her a big hug.

"This is amazing! Thank you all so much!"

The next hour was spent eating cake and pizza and talking and dancing to some fun music.

"This cake is really good," Judy said to Maribel as she was eating her second piece. "Who put all this together anyway?"

"It was all Nick's idea," Maribel said.

Crap, Nick thought. His cover had been blown. Of course Maribel couldn't keep a secret.

"What?" Judy said in shock. She looked at Nick who was suddenly interested in his phone.

"Yeah last week he said we should throw a surprise party for you when you came back to work. He was really excited about it. He said he wanted to do something special for you."

Nick looked up from his phone and found Judy smiling at him. Then she reached out and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you," she said.

He hugged her back. "You're welcome Judy."


	9. Finally

**Chapter 9:**

Finally

Nick and Judy were back on duty one lazy Thursday afternoon after Judy went back to work. There was literally nothing going on that day. They drove back and forth through Zootopia in their patrol car and found absolutely nothing of interest happening that day.

Nick propped his feet up on the dashboard and leaned back. "I don't think I've ever had a day this boring in my entire life."

Judy sighed. "I guess every day can't be filled with action and excitement. It would be really nice if _something_ happened today."

Nick noticed they were about to drive past central park and got an idea. "How about we take a break?"

"It's not break time yet."

"Look around carrots, absolutely nothing is happening today. I think the world will forgive us if we take a thirty minute break. Pull over here and let's go for a walk."

So Judy pulled over the car and they got out. It was a warm and sunny day outside. The ducks were splashing in the lake, the squirrels were running up and down trees, and the birds flew overhead. Just a typical Zootopia day at the park. The two of them bought some ice cream from a stand and then they decided to take a walk around the lake.

"You know, this is actually really nice. We should take breaks like this more often," Judy said.

"See carrots, I told you I was right. You should listen to me more often," Nick said elbowing her.

Judy elbowed him back. "Maybe just this once sly fox." She looked up at him for a moment. His red hair blew in the light breeze, his green eyes were focused up ahead. She wasn't sure what it was but he looked very handsome that day.

He noticed her watching him. "What?"

She blushed and looked away. "Nothing."

He lifted her chin. "Looks like a whole lot of something to be nothing. Come on, tell me."

"I was just thinking that…" She didn't know what she could possibly say to cover it up and it made her blush even more. "That you're really handsome today."

He was surprised to hear her say that and it made him blush as well. "Well, you're always really beautiful."

"You really think I'm beautiful?"

"Why do you look so surprised?" He looked into her eyes seriously. "You're gorgeous. You always have been and you always will be."

A smile formed on her face. She was embarrassed but she was happy and relieved that Nick thought she was beautiful. She threw herself at him in a big hug. "Thank you Nick."

He hugged her back tightly. Then he looked into her eyes, such a beautiful vibrant shade of violet that entered his dreams every single night. She was beautiful, perfect, incredible. There was nothing more lovely than her and in that moment he wanted nothing more than her. "You're amazing Judy. Never forget that."

She brushed her fingers across the stubble on his cheek. "You are too." Why was she hugging him tighter, leaning closer to him? After trying to suppress feelings for him for so long and finally starting to come to terms with the fact that she loved him she was drawn to him.

They moved closer together. Their breath merged. Finally she felt his lips on hers. Soft and warm, he tasted like coffee and spearmint. They moved in sync together exploring this new sensation that neither realized just how much they wanted until now. His arms were around her waist holding her close to him. Her fingers tangled in his messy hair. They deepened their kiss needing more, needing as much of each other as they could get. The only reason they began to pull away was the lack of breath.

Their eyes were still locked noticing nothing but each other. In a way they were shocked that they had just done this, but they were also relieved. Relieved to have finally revealed their feelings for each other and to have finally done what they had wanted to do for so long.

Smiles began to form on both of their faces and they began to laugh out of sheer happiness. She hugged him tightly and then he kissed her again and again savoring every second of the feeling of her soft lips and the feeling of her perfect body against his.

After a few seconds they continued their walk.

"Nick?"

"Yeah sweet bunny?"

She blushed when he said that. He'd called her dumb bunny and sly bunny before, among countless other things, but never sweet bunny. She liked how it sounded. "Do you like-like me?"

Nick laughed. "What is this, kindergarten? Yes I like-like you. I've like-liked you for a long time."

"How long?"

"Since we did the predators case," he said thoughtfully. "I'll admit at first I thought you were annoying and in over your head, but you were so brave and smart...and damn beautiful. I couldn't help but like-like you."

She squeezed his hand. "I never would have thought you liked me for that long."

"Now you know." He guided her over to a bench to sit. Then he put his arm around her shoulders and put his forehead on hers. "So you tell me, when did you start to like-like me?"

"Around the same time," she said twisting her hair around her fingers nervously. "You were funny and handsome and brave. And I wanted to protect you and make sure you were okay. You just kinda grew on me."

He smirked. "We should have done this a lot sooner then."

"Well, it's okay that it happened now," she said running her fingers across his cheek. "It gave me more time to want you and get to know you and realize how much I really wanted to be with you."

Her words made him happy. It warmed his heart to hear how she felt about him and that she had felt it for so long. To love and be loved back was the greatest feeling in the world.


	10. As Fast As It Starts

**Chapter 10:**

As Fast As It Starts...

Nick had never been so happy in his life. Yesterday was absolutely perfect. He'd dreamed about kissing her for a long time and now it was actually a reality. After hanging out in the park for a bit longer, they hopped back in the car to finish their work for the day. They held hands and cuddled the entire time, exchanging lots of loving kisses. To finally be able to tell her how he felt about her and be able to show it to her was the greatest feeling in the entire world and just the thought of what that day would bring them had him practically floating with happiness.

First things first, he had to do something nice for her. She was his girlfriend now, and his girlfriend was going to have nothing but the best.

Before going to the police station he went to the florist and picked out the most beautiful bouquet of roses he could find.

"For a special lady?" the florist asked.

"She's a _very_ special lady."

He raced to the police station and of course the first person he saw was Clawhauster at the front desk.

"Ooh are those for Judy? She told me you two are a thing now."

"You bet," Nick said with a wink. "Where is she?"

"I think she said she was going to your office."

Nick went into the office as fast as he could and when he opened the door sure enough Judy was sitting at her desk. She turned when she heard the door open and her face lit up with happiness when she saw him. It was hard to say good bye to him yesterday and she spent the entire night hardly able to sleep because she missed him so much. She ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

"Nick!" She kissed him. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too baby."

She giggled. She loved hearing that from him. Baby, honey, sweetie, he had called her all of those things since yesterday and she absolutely loved it.

"I got you something."

"Ooh, what?" she said excitedly.

He pulled the flowers from behind his back. "Ta-da!"

"Oh my goodness!" She smelled them. "They're beautiful Nick!" She hugged him tightly and kissed him over and over again. "Thank you."

"Anything for my beautiful girl."

She was beaming from ear to ear. She was his girl, his love, his sweet heart. She had wanted this for so long and the fact that it was now a reality made her happier than she had ever been in her life.

The rest of the day was not as smooth though. They were assigned a mission to capture a notorious robber. However, it didn't go quite as planned. It was both of their faults really but neither of them really wanted to admit it. Unfortunately when they got back to the police station their frustrations got to an all time high after being confronted by Bogo.

"So you didn't catch the robber?" Bogo said angrily.

"Well sir if it's any consolation I came this close but someone tripped me up," Nick said throwing Judy a pointed look.

"And we would have had a stronger lead if someone hadn't lost track of them when we were following them," Judy said glaring at Nick.

"I don't care what happened, all I know is that there is a serial bank robber on the loose and if we don't catch him lots of things are going to go wrong. Both of you have until next week. If want this guy in our custody sooner rather than later. If not I'm passing the job on to someone else, am I making myself clear?"

"Yes sir," they both said disappointedly.

"You are dismissed."

They left Bogo's office and went into their own to get ready to leave and recollect themselves after a failed day at work.

"Thanks for throwing me under the bus," Judy said still annoyed.

"Just telling it like it is," Nick said with a shrug.

"Most boyfriends try to keep their girlfriends out of trouble."

Nick rolled his eyes. "We were both in trouble anyway."

Judy continued to glare at him.

"Oh come on carrots, we've been dating, what, 24 hours and I'm already a bad boyfriend?"

"I never said that…"

He crossed his arms. "Then please explain to me what the anger is all about."

Judy sighed exasperatedly. "You're impossible."

"And you're ridiculous."

"I'm ridiculous for wanting my boyfriend to stick up for me?!"

"You're ridiculous for being a dumb bunny and blowing shit way out of proportion!"

"You're a dumb fox and you're an annoying asshole! If you're not going to stick up for me why would you even want to be with me in the first place?!"

He was mad and he was hurt that she would even say that. "Judy you're so full of shit! What did I ever see in you in the first place?!"

"Well I sure as hell don't know what I ever saw in you! You're the last type of person I would ever date!"

"Oh really?! Well that's just great to know that's how you really feel. How about I just call it off before it even gets started to save you the trouble?!"

"See if I care!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Nick stormed out of the room and Judy grabbed the flowers on her desk and tossed them into the trash. She was shaking with anger. Some boyfriend he was. To think that Nick Wilde would ever love her and care about her enough to not be such a jerk for once.

But as the anger subsided she replayed what had just happened. She sat down in her chair when she realized they had technically just broken up. It immediately made her cry. Of course she didn't mean any of the things she said. It had been a tough day and she said things out of anger, she was sure he did too. She went to the door to see if he was still there. Sure enough he was at the end of the hallway leaning against the wall looking deep in thought.

He looked up when he saw her open the door and gave her a hard glare. The last person she would ever date huh? Fine, if that's how it was going to be then that's how it would stay. He didn't care if he ever saw Judy Hopps again. He turned away from her and left without looking back.

Judy's face fell when he left without a word. So that was it then? After wanting to be with each other for so long, sharing their first kiss and the most blissful 24 hours ever, after everything they had been through together...that was it?

She felt like her world was crashing down around her. She collapsed to her knees and cried. What had she done? She had driven away the best thing that had ever happened to her. Maybe she really was a dumb bunny after all.


	11. Heartbreak

**Chapter 11:**

Heartbreak

The engine roared over the dirt road as she drove into the horizon. Up ahead she saw the first sign for Bunnyville. She sighed. In a way she felt like she was giving up, but what more could she do? It was clear that he didn't want her anymore.

She had been so sure that they were going to be together. The day she had gotten hurt on the job and he was by her bedside in the hospital in tears gave her hope. That kiss at the park had confirmed it. But after their fight yesterday, after everything that had been said, she knew they would never be together.

She knew what was going to happen next. After she left home and went back to work they would still be partners, if he even wanted to continue being her partner in the first place. But that was all it would be. Maybe they'd still be friends. But it made her heart ache to wonder what if. What if they had really become a couple? What if she were able to come to work every day and share dozens of sweet kisses with him and then go off together on a romantic date. What if they eventually got married…?

She forced herself not to think about that. It was too late now. The fact of the matter was she had blown her chance with Nick Wilde and she would just have to accept it. No matter how far she got, no matter what she did, she always screwed it up some way or another.

And yet that kiss was...perfect. It was like a magnetic force that neither of them could control. Next thing she knew she was kissing him. His embrace was warm and strong and his lips were so soft but firm in their pursuit of hers. It was like a moment of heaven.

They had been close to each other the rest of the day and the next finally able to outwardly admit what they were to each other. Deep down they both always knew. They knew how much they meant to each other and now they had what they both wanted.

Until they had blown up at each other. If there was one thing she regretted the most in her life it was that.

She pulled into the driveway of her parents house and couldn't hold back the tears that now fell freely from her eyes. If she could go back in time, she would make sure this never happened and that she and Nick would be happy together.

After a few minutes she pulled herself together. She couldn't let anyone see her crying. They worried about her enough as it was. And she certainly couldn't let on to anyone what had happened between her and Nick.

She got out of the car and went up to the front door. Her little sister Maria opened it.

"Where's your boyfriend?" was of course the first thing she said.

Judy glared at her. "He's _not_ my boyfriend."

Maria shrugged. "Whatever."

Her mother then came over to her. "Judy, we're so glad you're here. Come inside, you have to tell us everything."


	12. Blast From The Past

**Chapter 12:**

Blast From The Past

The next day Judy was in Bunnyville helping out at her parents carrot farm. As much as she hated being on the carrot farm, she wasn't ready to go back to Zootopia and face Nick. For that she would stay at the carrot farm, at least for a few more days.

She was at the stand handing out carrots and blueberries. It was a hot day, the sun beat down on her even with her wearing a wide straw hat. Bunnies walked back and forth with their large families, tractors, and bales of carrots. All were dressed as plain small town folks, probably unaware of what the wide world outside had to offer, or even just didn't care all that much to leave their provincial small town life to explore it.

For a moment she imagined herself here. She would have followed her parents dreams for her and become a carrot farmer with them, she'd be a part of the web of small town bunnies who all knew each other and what was going on in each other's lives. She'd marry a plain bunny who her parents approved of and they'd live here and raise a family complacent in their small town life with no desire to leave. No ZPD, or exotic people or places, no adventures, no Nick…

Her heart wrenched. Despite what had happened between them she wouldn't have traded meeting him for anything. Zootopia was where she was meant to be, living her life, having adventures, making the world better. Not here living a plain existence never knowing what could be. The only thing that would make it better would be having Nick by her side.

"Wow, Judy Hops? Is that you?"

She looked up to see a brown rabbit with black hair, a leather jacket, and shades, step out of a convertible car. It was the most interesting thing she'd seen since she got there. Yet she still didn't know who it was.

"Do I know you?" she asked.

"You don't remember me Judy? We went to school together." He took off the shades. "It's me, Sam."

Her eyes got wide as she recognized him. "Sam Rabbiton!" The two had gone to school together for years. She had to admit she had a little bit of a crush on him. They almost went to prom together until some popular girl convinced him to go with her instead.

"What's Miss Big Bad ZPD cop doing here in small town Bunnyville?" he asked as he came over to lean on the stand.

"Just visiting the fam, you know? Do you live around here still?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I had to get out of here as soon as I could. The small town lifestyle does things to your mind after a while."

Judy giggled and nodded. She couldn't agree more. "What are you doing now?"

"I've been traveling the world doing some filming and photography for my documentaries. Although my homebase is in Zootopia. When I saw you on the news for cracking the predators case I wasn't surprised. I always knew you'd do something great."

He flashed a smile at her that made her blush. Was he flirting with her?

"Thanks Sam, it's always been my biggest dream."

"You were always the type to go after your dreams. Hell, you inspired me."

"Really?"

"Sure, a girl with ambitions like you can inspire anyone. And to be the first Zootopia bunny cop, well, that's huge."

"You're too kind," she said bashfully. "I'd love to see your films sometime."

"Whenever you want. How long are you in Bunnytown?"

"Only until tomorrow."

"I'm sure you're very busy with all your new friends at the station."

"Yeah…" Even as she thought about it, she dreaded going back and having to see Nick.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked picking up on the apprehension.

Judy shook her head. "Oh nothing, just something that happened a few days ago. It's nothing really."

"Whatever, or whoever, it was don't worry about it. You're much too strong of a girl to let something like that bring you down."

For a moment she wanted to cry. She didn't realize how much she needed someone to tell her that. He was right. She was Nick were always at each other's throats. She was constantly left wondering will they or won't they. Was it really worth all of the pain she went through?

"Are you doing anything later?" she asked.

He smirked. "No, you?"

"I was thinking of going out to dinner with you, you know if you're interested?"

He put his hand on hers and flashed another white smile. "I would be honored Judy. How about Francesca's, say 7 o' clock?"

"I think that sounds great."

He lifted her hand and kissed it gently. "See you then." With a wink he walked to his car and drove off leaving Judy at the carrot stand with her heart beating fast. She didn't know why she had done what she did but she liked it. It was new and rebellious. She felt free.

She picked up a carrot and took a big bite of it with a smirk on her face. "Suck on that Nick."


	13. The Silent Treatment

**Chapter 13:**

The Silent Treatment

Judy had been gone for the past few days and Nick didn't want to admit to himself how much it was driving him insane. He didn't know where she was, how long she'd be gone, and being alone on duty was going to make him tear his hair out.

Yes he had been beyond pissed at her after their big fight last week. He had vowed to himself that he would never speak to her again. That lasted all of five minutes until he began to regret it and want nothing more than to apologize and hold her close to him.

He didn't want to admit these things though. He had too much pride for that. At work he put on the sly fox face and acted as if everything was peachy keen and like he didn't care whether Judy came back or not. He knew everyone had been slowly anticipating him and Judy being in a relationship but he just blew it off. He had to pull off the persona Judy wasn't his problem anymore and that he didn't miss her. That he didn't regret their fight. That he hadn't been in love with her for months. That their kiss was everything he could have dreamed of and more. That all he wanted was to hold her and kiss her all day long...

No, he wasn't about to admit those things. At least not out loud.

He walked into the ZPD station with his usual cup of morning coffee and the first thing he heard was Judy's voice.

"How was Bunnyville?" Clawhauster asked as he munched on a donut.

"Same old, same old. Although it was nice to see my family again," Judy replied.

Nick cleared his throat.

The two looked up and Clawhauster waved. "Hey Nick. Judy's back."

"I see," he replied. "Hello Judy."

"Hi Nick," she replied twisting her hair around her fingers. He knew that was what she did when she was nervous. There was an awkward silence for a moment then Judy looked at her wrist. "Well, would you look at the time! Gotta go to work. Don't want Bogo to get mad!" Then she ran off.

Nick rolled his eyes. "She's not wearing a watch."

"What happened between you two?" Clawhauster asked. A few days ago Nick had walked in with a huge bouquet of flowers and the two had been inseparable. Now they would hardly look at each other.

Nick waved it off. "It's not important."

"So something _did_ happen!"

"Again, _not_ important," Nick said walking off.

Before long he ended up in the patrol car with Judy. It was very familiar, a slow day on patrol. Although he didn't think at this point there would be any chance of them taking a stroll through the park and sharing a passionate kiss.

There was an awkward silence between them. Neither of them knew what to say although both felt like they should say something.

Nick was trying to think of the right words to apologize. He didn't want things to be like this between them. Yes he and Judy were always at each other's throats, but it was just part of what made their relationship so dynamic. It's what made them work. And he wouldn't trade anything about Judy for the world.

"So, um, Judy…"

Suddenly Judy noticed Sam coming out of a Chipotle up ahead. "Hey, it's Sam!" she said pulling over.

Nick looked up ahead. "Sam?"

Judy got out of the car and walked over to the brown rabbit carrying a Chipotle take out bag. She gave him a hug and the two exchanged a kiss.

Nick stared in shock. He felt like he'd been punched in the throat. For a few seconds he watched them laugh and talk and hold hands. When they kissed again he couldn't decide whether he was going to be sick or explode from anger.

He got out of the car, slammed the door and stormed over to them. "Judy, who is this?" he said seething with anger.

Judy's heart was pounding but she stood her ground and looked Nick in the eye defiantly. "This is Sam. Sam, this Nick Wilde, my patrol partner."

So that's what he'd been reduced to? Just her patrol partner?!

Sam extended his hand. "Nice to meet you Nick."

Nick ignored the hand. "How do you know each other?"

"We used to go to school together," Judy explained. "He's my new boyfriend."

"How long have you been dating?!"

"Just since the weekend. We went to Francesca's in Bunnyville," Sam said. "Although I have to say I've liked Judy for a really long time." He nuzzled her neck.

Judy watched Nick for a moment. He looked angry, actually furious. But she noticed something more behind his cold exterior. He looked hurt. She tried to ignore it. She had been hurt too. Now he knew how it felt. She turned to Sam and placed another kiss on his lips for good measure.

For a fleeting second Nick could feel his poker face expression falter but then a renewed sense of anger hardened his expression. If Judy didn't want to be with him anymore, if she'd rather be with this jerk, he didn't care but he wasn't going to stand around and watch the two of them suck each other's faces.

"Newsflash Carrots, we're on duty. I'm going back to the car, you've got five seconds to get in or I'm leaving without you." He went back to the patrol car and got in. He tried not to look at them but out of the corners of his eyes he saw them kiss again.

A few seconds later Judy got in the car and Nick started to drive.

"That was some performance you put on out there," Nick said through his teeth.

Judy glared at him. "That wasn't a performance! I really like him."

"I'm sure you do."

Judy crossed her arms and looked out the window feeling tears in her eyes. "Why do you care?"

Nick didn't say anything. Because I love you, he thought.


	14. Admitting

**Chapter 14:**

Admitting

Sam drove Judy to the police station again a few days later. It was great being with him. He was kind and funny and sweet and affectionate. Yet she felt like something was missing. Something more that she really needed. She didn't want to admit to herself what it was but she knew good and well it was at the station in her office. The two of them spent everyday together, it would take some time to rid her mind and her heart of him completely. But so far she figured Sam was doing a great job of that.

"Want me to walk you in?" he asked placing his hand on hers.

"Of course," she replied.

Meanwhile inside, Nick was at the front desk with Ben Clawhauster drinking his morning coffee.

"You look mad. Things not working out with Judy?" Ben said.

Nick nearly spit out his coffee. "What?!"

"I could have sworn you two would end up together. It's a shame. Bogo didn't think it would work out but I had hope for the two of you."

Nick pinched the sides of his nose feigning annoyance but in truth Clawhauster was right. He had absolutely blown things with Judy and it was all his fault.

"She's probably better off with a bunny anyway. I know I'm not supposed to call bunnies cute but her and that guy Sam are super cute together."

Nick gripped his coffee cup so hard all of the coffee spilled on the floor.

Ben looked down at the mess. "You should really clean that up."

"Ben, _shut up_."

The door opened and Judy walked in with the rabbit Sam. Nick clenched his fist just looked at him. Judy made eye contact with him for a moment and then quickly averted her eyes and waved at Bob. She looked back at Sam.

"Have a good day at work," the brown rabbit said.

"See you tonight," Judy said.

What were they doing tonight?! Nick thought.

Sam leaned in to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

Nick felt like he would be sick. He couldn't take it anymore. He threw the coffee cup into the trash and stormed out of the room.

Judy waved good bye to Sam. She knew Nick had seen the two of them kiss. Secretly she was happy about it. She knew it was horrible but she almost wanted him to regret losing her. It was proof that she didn't need him and she was capable of moving on without him.

"Look at you and your new man," Clawhauster said to her.

"He's great isn't he?" she replied.

"Watch out for that coffee spill. Nick apparently leaves messes when he's enraged."

"What's Nick enraged about?"

"As if you don't know. He's obviously very jealous of you and Sam. I've never seen him so mad."

"Nick jealous?"

"Totally. Oh well, I guess he should have gotten with you when he had the chance."

"Yeah, he should have."

She went to her office and found that he wasn't there. It was a good thing, it would have been way too awkward otherwise. She was alone for a total of 5 minutes when the door slammed open. She turned around and saw him standing in the doorway not looking happy.

"So I take it you've been having fun locking lips with that son of a bitch?"

Judy narrowed her eyes at him. "So _now_ you're talking to me?" Nick had been ignoring her or the past three days. What made him want to talk to her now?

"Just good to know you're having fun. I'm sure he's everything you want," he said sarcastically. "But just to let you know, no one wants to see you make out with him in the middle of the station."

"You're just jealous!"

He laughed without any humor. "Ha! Me jealous? You're out of your mind, carrots!"

"You are jealous! Just because you don't want me that means I can't find happiness with someone else right?! God you're selfish!"

He walked closer to her. "Excuse me, but I don't think I was the one who said 'Nick you're the last person I would ever want to date'!"

"Because you infuriate me!"

"Back at ya!"

"Look, Sam and I are happy together okay?! You had your chance and you blew it. We just weren't meant to be so get off my back and…!"

She was cut off when he took her face in his hands and covered her mouth with his. She immediately melted into his arms. All traces of anger she had for him the past week had melted away as quickly as they had started. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gripped him tightly deepening their passionate kiss. He pushed at her, backing her up until she was pressed against the wall. He held her there with one hand on the wall, the other on her waist as he ravaged her mouth. She moaned into his mouth wanting more, needing more.

To her disappointment he pulled back from her mouth until he was looking into her eyes. "Looks like he's not the man you want."

Suddenly her eyes welled with tears. She regretted it all: their fight, being with Sam in the first place, trying to make him jealous. She looked down but gripped his shirt tighter. "But you don't...want me."

He lifted her chin. "I just made out with you ya dumb bunny. Usually when someone does that it means they want to be with them."

A smile broke out across her face and she laughed. Then she pulled him back to her and kissed him over and over again.

"I'm sorry. For everything," she said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry too. You're the only woman I could ever want in my life Judy. I promise you that."


	15. Together

**Chapter 15:**

Together

At the end of the day Nick and Judy were walking out of the station hand in hand. He watched her as they walked. Her tiny frame, her long hair, wide bright eyes, and gentle sway of her hips. Her tiny hand fit in his perfectly. It felt good to finally have her as his own. He had screwed up once and he was never going to let that happen again.

"So wait, now you're together?" Clawhauster said as they passed.

"Yeah, we are," Judy said proudly.

She looked up at Nick with adoration. The way she looked at him nearly made his heart stop. He leaned down to her and gave her a kiss.

"In your face Bogo!" Clawhauster shouted across the room to the chief who took one look at the scene and rolled his eyes.

"Oh by the way, if you're together now, there's someone outside that you should explain this to. He's not going to be very happy."

Judy put her face in her hand knowing immediately it was Sam. "Oh no."

"Don't worry baby, I'll take care of it," Nick said. He couldn't wait to rub this into that rabbits face.

"No way! You're going to make it worse!" Judy said as they walked towards the door. "Let me do all the talking."

They got outside where Sam was getting out of his car. He froze when he saw the two of them. Nick couldn't resist. This was just too good to be true. He pulled Judy close to him and gave her a deep loving kiss. She glared at him afterwards. "You're in trouble," she said angrily. "You are in big trouble…"

"You wanna tell me what this is?" Sam said angrily.

Judy twisted her hair around her fingers. "Sam, it's not what it looks like…"

"Yes it is," Nick said with a smirk.

"Shut up," Judy said to him. "You see...it's just that...Nick and I…"

"Are madly in love," Nick said getting more satisfied by the look on Sam's face.

"Nick! What part of let me do the talking is so hard to understand?!"

"And when was I going to know about this Judy?! How long has this been going on?!" Sam exclaimed.

"About 6 hours," Nick said.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I've liked Nick for a long time and I didn't think we had a chance."

"So what was I? A rebound?"

Nick shrugged. "More or less."

Judy sighed. This was not going well at all. "Sam, I'm sorry, but Nick is the man I want to be with."

"I see how it is Judy. Fine." Same walked away and got back into his car and drove off.

Judy glared at Nick.

"I think that went well."

"You're the worst."

Nick hugged her. "You know you love me."

"Whatever."

"So I was thinking," he said with his arm around her shoulders as they started walking.

"What were you thinking?"

"You're my girlfriend now. I'm your boyfriend. That means we have to officially go on a date."

She smirked. "Are you asking me out?"

"Damn it Judy, don't make this difficult."

"Okay, fine," she said laughing. "You have my full attention."

"That's more like it." He stopped and looked into her eyes. "Will you go on a date with me tonight Judy?"

She took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Of course I will. Where should we go?"

"It's a surprise," he said. "All you know is that it's going to be really special."

*WW*

Judy was beyond excited to find out what Nick had planned for their first date. He said it would be a surprise, knowing him it could be anything. As she got ready she wondered what it could possibly be. A romantic dinner? A movie? A walk in the park?

She put on a flowing knee length red dress. It was one that she'd had for a long time but never had anything to wear it for. She curled her hair and put on a bit of makeup. Afterwards she looked herself over in the mirror and suddenly felt nervous. She had never dressed up like this for him before. She was just starting to worry that he wouldn't like it when there was a knock on her door.

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together then went to the door.

When she saw him she nearly gasped. He looked _incredibly_ handsome. His hair had been combed but still had that effortless edge to it. He wore a black button up shirt and a red tie along with some black slacks. His hands were in his pockets and he had that sly smirk on his face as always.

"You clean up well," she said trying to be lighthearted but the words barely came out.

"I can say the same about you," he said as he reached out and brushed his fingers across her cheek. She nearly melted on the spot. Before she could say anything more he leaned in and kissed her. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck taking in every scent and feeling of being this close to him. No matter what she would never be able to get enough of him.

After they broke their kiss he looked into her eyes with a smile on his face. "Ready to go sweet bunny?"

"Of course," she said smiling again at the words sweet bunny.

They went down to his car. Before she could get in he opened her door for her. She was surprised, he had never done that before.

"You're such a gentleman," she said with a teasing smirk.

"Believe it or not I was raised with manners," he said just as jokingly.

He got in on the driver's side and took off.

"So you never told me where we're going. Let me guess, a movie?"

"That's so basic. You can do better than that."

"A boat ride?"

He chuckled. "Just lay back and enjoy the ride baby."

Eventually they pulled up to a restaurant in the middle of Zootopia called the Charleston. Judy gasped. "We're going _here_?"

"Bingo, we have a winner," Nick said as he pulled into the parking lot.

The Charleston was a five star restaurant. Their prices were outlandish. "We can afford this?" Judy said skeptically as they got out the car.

"Remember the hustling days and the tax evasion?" Nick said taking her hand.

Judy gasped. "Nick, you're taking me out on a date with illegal money?!"

"Is it supposed to sit around and never be used?"

"Well no...but it's still bad!"

"If you want we can go somewhere else. Subway is pretty romantic...or McDonald's."

Judy sighed. There was no way out of this. She might as well go with the flow. "Alright, alright, but if we get caught…"

"Then _I'll_ do all the talking."

They went through the golden doors and were seated at a private table with a silk tablecloth and candles. They were brought the finest wine in Zootopia.

"To us," Judy said holding up her glass for a toast.

"To us," Nick said tapping her glass with his.

Judy took a look at the menu and nearly fainted. She tried to find the least expensive thing on the menu.

"Don't even think about trying to get the least expensive thing," Nick said.

She looked at him in shock wondering how he knew.

"I know you well," he said holding her hand. "Order whatever you want."

The waitress came back to the table. She was a really pretty fox with long hair and breasts that were spilling out of her top. She gave Judy a look of disdain and turned her attention to Nick batting her eyelashes and laying it on thick with the obvious flirting.

Judy couldn't help but be mad. She certainly was gorgeous and she was a fox. What would Nick think?

Nick knew the woman was flirting with him but he didn't pay her any attention. He knew the type of woman she was, only after one thing and validation for her whore-ish ways. He was glad that part of his past was behind him and he had a real woman like Judy by his side.

"I'll have the steak, medium rare," he replied.

The waitress leaned closer to him. "Not a problem sir."

Nick squeezed Judy's hand. "What do you want baby?"

"I'll have the tofu stir fry," Judy said comforted by the fact that all of Nick's attention was on her.

"Make it snappy miss," Nick said to the waitress. Then he kissed Judy's hand and smiled at her. It made her heart sing.

"Coming right up," the waitress grumbled realizing her attempts to flirt had failed.

"Geez, I didn't realize the waitresses here were so thirsty," Nick said.

Judy giggled. "Well too bad for her."

Their dinner cae and it was delicious. Afterwards they left the restaurant and Judy gave Nick a big hug and a kiss.

"Thank you Nick."

"Our night isn't over yet."

"What else do you have planned?"

He put his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes. "We're gonna have a little bit of _fun_."

It didn't take long to find out what fun meant. Soon they pulled up to an arcade and Judy squealed with happiness. "Oh my god! This is awesome!"

Nick was satisfied. He knew Judy well and he was sure this would make her very happy. She didn't disappoint.

"Let's go!" she said pulling him along towards the arcade. They spent the next two hours dashing back and forth across the arcade. They played bowling, air hockey, and basketball. They got lucky in a few Wheel of Fortune games and won tons of tickets. They played lots of racing games, everything from Mario Kart to Nascar, and got extremely competitive on who would win. They were experts at the shooting games from all of their cop training. And they played multiple rounds of guitar hero. After they had exhausted every game in the arcade the put together all the tickets they won and bought a plushie for Judy and a big goofy hat for Nick.

Nick took her home afterwards and walked her to her apartment.

"Tonight was amazing," she said. "Everything about it was perfect."

"You're perfect Judy."

Hearing that from him warmed her heart. She grabbed his tie and pulled him to her for a long loving kiss. It didn't take long for them to start growing in intensity. He pressed her against the door. She gripped him tightly. The warmth of his body and the smell of his cologne was intoxicating. It was like she was drowning in him and she didn't want to come up for air. His hands began to wander, slowly trailing up from the hem of her dress..

Should they end the night like this? Having all of each other, emotionally and physically? It made Judy shiver to think about it. Yet at the same time she found herself apprehensive. Was it better to savor the moment and wait a bit longer?

She broke their kiss and found his green eyes staring deeply into hers with nothing but adoration for her.

"I love you Judy."

"I love you too Nick."

He gave her one more gentle but passionate kiss. "See you tomorrow sweet bunny."

"Good night sweet fox."

He turned to go and she went into her apartment. She leaned against the door feeling overwhelmed yet at the same time she felt like her heart would explode from happiness.


	16. His Ex

**Chapter 16:**

His Ex

Nick and Judy were walking across the Zootopia bridge one night. They had just gone to see a movie that they had both really wanted to see for a while but it turned out to be very subpar. But hey, a bad movie gave them something interesting to talk about.

"I was with it up until the aliens attacked, after that I was done," Judy said still laughing over how bad it was.

"Whoever made this movie really needs to take a moment to sit down and reevaluate their life," Nick said. "The whole relationship thing was ridiculous. Who acts like that?"

"Tell me about it." Judy smirked as she thought of something. "You know, I've always wondered, who have you dated before me?"

Nick chuckled. "You really wanna know my relationship history?"

"I'm all ears," she said eagerly.

"Alright, fine. My last serious relationship was about 2 years ago. I had a lot of flings and what not. I was always kind of a playboy I guess. She was my only real long term relationship."

Judy let that sink in. She hadn't expected Nick to have been with a lot of people but felt like she shouldn't have been surprised. "Have you ever...slept with anyone?"

"You really wanna know the answer to that question?"

She wanted him to say no but everything about the look in his eyes said yes.

"Okay, now it's your turn. What have your past relationships been like?"

"My love life hasn't been nearly as interesting as yours."

"I'm all ears," he quoted her.

"Well, I had my first kiss at 12. I've had really one serious relationship when I was in high school but even that didn't last more than a year. And then there was Sam. I kinda liked him a while ago but he wasn't really right for me. I've never slept with anyone. I guess I've never really been popular with guys."

"I can't imagine why," Nick said. "I would have thought all the guys would want you."

Judy shrugged. "I have you, that's all that matters." She looked at the sparkling water below. "Look at the water. Isn't is beautiful with the sunset over it?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Yeah, but you know what's more beautiful?"

"What?" she said unsuspectingly.

"You."

She blushed. "Nick, you're so sweet."

"I love you sweet bunny," he said right before he kissed her.

Nearly a month later she still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Nick loved her. _Her_ of all people. Every time he held her, every time he kissed her, called her sweet bunny, and told her he loved her, she just couldn't believe she was this lucky. How did she ever deserve to have a man as wonderful as Nick Wilde?

"I love you too sweet fox," she said against his lips. Just as she was about to kiss him again they were interrupted.

"Nick!"

They turned around and saw a girl approaching them. She was a fox with long brown hair, striking eyes, and wore a ruffled white mini skirt.

"Esmeralda?" Nick said clearly surprised.

"Oh my god, Nick, it's been so long!" she said reaching out and giving him a hug.

"Um, yeah, right," he said tentatively giving her a hug back.

She looked Judy up and down. "Who's your friend?"

"This is my girlfriend Judy. Judy his is Emeralda...my ex girlfriend."

"Oh, okay, nice to meet you Esmeralda," Judy said surprised. The two girls eyed each other for a moment.

Nick could sense the tension. "Me and Judy should be going."

"It was nice to see you again Nick." She put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving. "We should hang out sometime."

"We'll see about that." Nick turned away wanting to break the tension as fast as possible.

There was an awkward silence between them for a while. Judy eyed Nick for a moment. He was obviously distracted. She wondered if he was thinking about Esmeralda, missing her, wanting to be with her.

"What was she doing here?" Judy finally said.

Nick shrugged. "Not sure."

"How long did you two date?"

"Two years."

Judy let that sink in for a moment. 2 years was a long time. "Did you love her?"

"Yeah…" Nick looked at Judy and realized how she felt. He stopped walking and put his hands on her shoulders. "That was a long time ago Judy. Esmeralda and I broke up for a reason. It doesn't matter anymore."

*WW*

The next day Judy and Maribel had just left the nail salon and were walking through the mall. They were always busy at the City Hall and the police department. But sometimes they needed a chance to be girly and have fun.

"I'm in the mood for some smoothies," Judy said. "Where's the smoothie shop?"

"It's all the way over there," Maribel said pointing to the other side of the mall. "How's the whole relationship thing going?" she asked curiously.

Judy couldn't help but smile. "It's...amazing."

"Yay! I'm so happy for you! I knew this was going to happen eventually. Everyone did."

"Yeah, I know." Clawhauster wouldn't stop talking about how he was waiting for them to get together and they had made his dreams come true.

"Well you two are super cute together. Did you end up going to see that movie last night?"

"Oh yeah, we saw it," Judy said less enthusiastically. She still hadn't forgotten about what had happened when they saw Esmeralda. Something about it didn't sit well with her.

"What happened?" Maribel said.

"Well...I met Nick's ex girlfriend."

"No way! When did he date her?"

"It was a couple of years ago. They dated for two years!"

"Dang, that's wild. Is she pretty?"

Judy didn't want to admit it but how could she not? Esmeralda was tall and exotic looking, She was nothing compared to her. "She's gorgeous."

"Well, hey, don't let it bother you. It was a long time ago. Nick loves you."

Judy gasped at who she saw up ahead.

"What?"

"That's her!"

Maribel gasped when she saw the tall pretty girl with long silky hair blowing out behind her. "Wow she really is gorgeous!"

"Thanks," Judy grumbled.

"I didn't mean it like that! She's not as pretty as you, she's just... _really_ pretty. Why did Nick break up with _her_?"

"Not helping Maribel!"

"Should we go a different way...never mind, she sees us."

Sure enough Esmeralda spotted them and walked over to them. "Julie, right?"

"Judy," Judy said.

"Mm-hmm. So how long have you been dating Nick?"

"It's none of your business," Judy said defensively.

Esmeralda snickered. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Nick was madly in love with me. It broke his poor little heart when I broke up with him."

"Why did you break up with him?" Judy said suddenly angry that this chick had broken Nick's heart.

"Personal reasons. I'd almost forgotten how hot Nick was, and sexy...not to mention he's a _very_ good lover," she smirked at that last part knowing she was making Judy mad.

Sure enough Judy was streaming. She was angry at Esmeralda for trying to get under her skin like this...and even jealous that this girl knew what it was like to sleep with Nick and she didn't. "You just stay away from Nick!"

Esmeralda looked down the bridge of her nose at Judy. "You'll never understand what Nick and I had. You may think you mean something to him but I know him _so_ much better than you do. You don't stand a chance. Nick will be mine." With a toss of her hair she walked off.

"What a hoe," Maribel said. "Why would Nick ever date her?"

Judy was still furious. Who did this girl think she was trying to walk into her and Nick's life like this? One thing was for sure, she would never let Esmeralda have Nick, ever.


	17. Prove Your Love

**Chapter 17:**

Prove Your Love

The next day Judy walked into the police station with a renewed sense of determination. She wasn't going to let Esmeralda take Nick from her and she wasn't going to let Nick think Esmeralda was better than her. She didn't care how long the two of them dated or what Esmeralda's real intentions were. All she knew was that Nick was _hers_ and that was how it was going to stay.

She had spent extra time making herself look beautiful for him that morning and when she found him in their office she felt nothing short of sexy.

"Good morning baby," Nick said happily when he saw her come in.

She walked over to where he was sitting and wrapped her arms around his neck and put her forehead on his. "Hey sexy fox."

He ran his hands up and down her waist. "You look beautiful today. What did you do?"

"I just wanted to make today extra special for you," she said placing a kiss on his forehead, then his nose, then his lips.

"What's the occasion?" He hadn't expected to walk into the station and be seduced but the way things were going, he liked it.

"Does love need an occasion?" She straddled his lap and began to kiss him harder. She wanted to show him that she was a much better lover than Esmeralda had ever been.

"Mmm baby...we're still at work," he said as she kissed his neck realizing the situation they were in.

"Don't worry about it honey." She moved back to his mouth and kissed him passionately. The room was filled with their moans. She could feel him starting to get turned on and she began to rub her hips on him. He placed his hands on her butt and began to guide her. It felt good. She didn't want to stop.

Suddenly the door was thrown open and Clawhauster stopped in his tracks at what he saw. "Holy shit!"

"Ah!" Nick and Judy exclaimed as they were startled out of their passionate make out session.

"Can't you see we're busy, Clawhauster?" Nick said annoyed that they had been interrupted.

"Sorry, sorry, um, Bogo just wanted me to give you this," he said holding up a file folder. "I'll put it right here. Have fun." He backed out of the room and shut the door.

Nick looked back at Judy giving her the sexiest look she had ever seen. "Now, where were we?"

*WW*

Judy didn't see Esmeralda the rest of the week but she did everything she could to make sure that Nick had no reason to run back to her. She was super affectionate to him, made him dinner, paid for their dates, did everything she could possibly think of to make him happy. So far it seemed to be working.

"I'm starving, you wanna get some food?" Judy asked as they left the police station that Friday. They had stayed super later, it was almost 9 o' clock. All in a day's work but snow that it was over, she wanted nothing more than to just be with him.

"How about we stop and get some pizza and cuddle all night?" he suggested.

"I like that."

"Good, but I'm paying this time."

"Nick…"

"You've paid for our last two dates. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you pay for everything?"

"A boyfriend who doesn't conform to the norms of society…"

He cut her off with a kiss. "I'll pay tonight, you don't worry your pretty little head about a thing."

She couldn't help but smile. She was lucky to have a man like him.

They went to the pizza place and ordered their pizza.

"I left my key in the car," Nick realized.

"I'll wait for the pizza if you wanna go get it."

He gave her a kiss. "I'll be right back."

He got out to the car and got the keys. Once he locked the door he saw Esmeralda approaching him.

"Hello Nick," she said sweetly.

"I'm pretty sure the amount of times you've come to find me over the past few days would be considered stalking."

She giggled. "Still as funny as always. What are you doing tonight?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You know, I talked to your little girlfriend the other day. What do you see in her?"

"A lot more than I ever saw in you." Things between him and Esmeralda hadn't ended well. Yes he had loved her but their relationship had been even more dysfunctional than his relationship with Judy, complete with constant arguing and cheating. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and called it quits but it seemed like she still hadn't gotten the memo.

"But she's a bunny."

"So what?"

"I mean, why would you want to date a bunny? She's so tiny, and not much to look at honestly."

"I think she's beautiful."

She batted her eyelashes. "More beautiful than me?"

Nick crossed his arms. "Of course. She's gorgeous, she's smart, brave, caring...everything you're not."

Esmeralda looked shocked then she scoffed. "I remember you saying I was all of those things."

"Well a woman who was all of those things wouldn't have chosen to have an affair." He remembered when he had found out. God did it hurt. He thought they would be together forever yet she was just another no good skank. It absolutely hurt his trust and he eventually went back to hook ups. Why even try for a relationship when chicks were so untrustworthy? At least, that's what he thought until he met Judy.

She stepped closer to him. "I miss you Nick."

"Should have thought about that before I caught you in bed with that guy," he said coldly. He'd been with a lot of sleazy bitches in his time, but it took him a long time to find out that she was as bad as they come. Looking at her now he was disgusted by her. Sure she was gorgeous, but she was dead to him.

"I think we should give it another try." She put her hands on his shoulders. Before he could say anything more she kissed him.

Of course at that moment Judy walked out the door. She dropped the pizza when she saw them. "N-Nick…"

Nick pushed Esmeralda away. "Damn it. Judy…"

Judy couldn't tell whether she was more hurt or angry. She stomped over to them and pushed Esmeralda aside. "Get your hands off my man you bitch!"

"You're not good enough for him," Esmeralda said.

"You know what…!"

Nick stepped between them before the girls could start fighting in the middle of the parking lot. He put his hands on Judy's shoulders. She looked mad but there were tears in her eyes. He couldn't stand to see his Judy so upset, it pained him. "Judy…"

She looked away from him. She couldn't believe she had been right about everything. Nick was still in love with Esmeralda. He would never love her the way he loved his ex girlfriend. He was going to leave her and they would be together and that would be it. She thought she finally had him as her own for good but she was wrong. No matter how hard she tried her and Nick simply wouldn't be together.

"What did I tell you Nick?" Esmeralda said smugly. "She's not what _we_ used to have."

"Shut the hell up Esmeralda!" Nick exclaimed surprising both her and Judy. Judy had never seen Nick so mad before, it was kinda frightening. "You will _never_ be half the woman Judy is! I don't want you, I never will want you! Stay the hell out of my life and if I hear of you harassing Judy one more damn time you'll regret it, got it?!"

Judy was shocked. He was actually standing up for her. This was the last thing she expected to hear from him. Esmeralda's facial expression went from shocked to hurt to angry. Judy smirked knowing she had won.

"Fine! See if I care Nick! I don't need you! I never needed you! Good riddance!" With that she stormed off.

Nick ran his fingers through Judy's hair and looked into her eyes still concerned about her. "Are you alright Judy? I'm sorry. That fucking whore…"

She cut him off by hugging him tightly.

"You're not mad?"

"How could I be? I should have known you would choose me."

He held her hands. "Of course I would Judy! She's a bitch. I broke up with her for a reason, things never worked out between us no matter how much I tried. When I caught her cheating that was it. She's insane."

"I'm sorry you had to put up with that. You don't deserve it. I would have kicked her ass on the spot for you."

Nick chuckled. "I know you would have." He kissed her. "That's why I love you sweet bunny. You're better than she ever could be in every single way. I would never risk what we have over some bitch." He gave her one more kiss and then picked the pizza up off the ground. "Ready to go?"

"Can we still cuddle all night?"

"We can cuddle as long as you want baby."


	18. Heart, Soul, and Body

**Chapter 18:**

Heart, Soul, and Body

She was woken up by an overwhelming warmth next to her. She opened her eyes halfway to see his arms around her and his sleeping face next to hers. She cuddled closer to him. There was no other way she would rather wake up.

She looked up when she heard him yawn widely. He opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at her.

"Good morning carrots."

She hugged him tighter. "Good morning sly fox."

He leaned down to her and started kissing her. She gladly melted into his arms and kissed him back just as passionately and sleepily. Mornings like this with him were perfect. She didn't know how she ever survived without him next to her in the morning.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

It made her shiver with happiness. "I love you too."

A few seconds later they were broken out of their love by the sound of the alarm.

Nick groaned frustratedly. Judy reached over and turned it off.

"Time to get ready for work," she said starting to sit up.

He held her down. "Or how about we not?"

She smirked. "Are you suggesting we skip work Mr. Wilde?"

"Why not?" He rolled over on top of her before she could protest. His weight on top of her made her feel warm and secure. She wouldn't want to get up even if she could. "They'll be fine without us for one day."

She ran her fingers through his red hair. "And what do you suggest we do all day?"

He kissed her lips, then her cheek, then her neck. "We don't have to do anything." He kissed her neck again. "Just relax, cuddle." He kissed the side of her face near her ear. "See where it goes," he whispered.

A chill ran down her spine at those last words. "See where it goes." She was curious to see where things really could go. Would they really cuddle all day...or take things to the next step? The more she thought about it the more she wanted to.

But of course they had responsibilities.

She kissed him very passionately. He took that as an agreement but she pulled away too soon for him.

"Later."

He buried his face in her chest. "Why do you torture me carrots?"

She laughed. "Because I love you. Now get your face out of my boobs." She kissed him deeply. "We'll finish this tonight," she said in a sensual voice. She had never felt more sure about it. As soon as she could she was going to give him all of her love.

His heart fluttered when she said that. He kissed her back as lovingly as he could. Then he sat up and stretched. She sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist in a warm embrace. He hugged her back smiling from ear to ear. What did he ever do without this woman in his life?

*WW*

They arrived back at Judy's apartment. He held her close in his arms before he left.

"I love you," he said as he looked into her eyes.

She ran her fingers across his cheek. "I love you too. More than anything in the world."

They went in for a kiss and it didn't take long for that kiss to grow in intensity. She gripped him tightly. As always his kisses were firm and gentle and he held her close against his strong body. She moaned softly into his mouth and he held her tighter.

That morning she had wanted to give herself to him and that conviction was only made stronger. She loved him with all her heart and soul and she wanted him to have all of her, heart, soul, and body.

She broke their kiss and they looked at each other trying to catch their breath. "Do you want to come inside?"

They often hung out at her apartment after their dates and often slept together. But there was something more behind her eyes tonight, something that had never been there before. He wanted to have all of her. Not wanting to pressure her into anything he had made it her call. And if he wasn't mistaken, he knew what she wanted.

They went inside and Judy hardly had the door close before he was kissing her, hard. His lips ravaged hers, his hands roamed her body. It was like a floodgate had opened. Her body was burning for him and she loved every second of it.

Her feet lifted off the floor as he picked her up and carried her bridal style over to the bed. He lay her down gently and moved over top of her. He grabbed his tie and pulled him down to her kissing him with the same intensity as before wrapped her legs around his waist in the process. He pushed into her and she gasped as she felt the bulge in his pants press against her. It felt _good_. The friction between them was beginning to become unbearable. She tugged at his clothes, they were in the way. She never wanted him naked as much as she did now.

He took the hint and began to undo his tie. He slipped off his shoes as she began to unbutton his shirt. Once he had gotten that off she unstrapped her shoes and tossed them to the floor. He pulled her up to sit on him, her legs straddling his waist. Then he lifted her dress over her head. He observed her body for a moment. He remembered a few months ago when he had walked in on her in her underwear. She was just as sexy as she was then, her toned body curvy in all the right places.

She threw her head back as he kissed her chest making his way up her neck. Again she felt his erection pressing against her through the thin fabric of her underwear. She started moving her hips back and forth on him, the thought of him inside of her nearly driving her mad. His hands were on her hips guiding her and they soon moved up her waist and her back until he unhooked her bra.

She caught her breath when he threw it off of her. He had never seen her like this before, what would he think?

He thought she was absolutely perfect. He cupped her breasts in his hands and kissed her lips. "Beautiful," he breathed.

She was relieved to hear that.

Next thing she knew she was on her back. In a swift move he pulled her panties off. His pants were the only thing in the way and it was frustrating. She undid his belt and he hsat up and pulled his pants all the way off. She bit her lip as she looked at him. He was absolutely sexy.

"You're perfect," she said running her hands down his chest until she reached his crotch. She took his erection in her hands and began to stroke. He groaned. It was the hottest thing she had ever heard.

"Judy," he moaned as he tackled her to the bed. He needed her. It was the only thing on his mind. The need for her was stronger than the need to breathe.

She gasped when she felt him slide into her. She let out a moan when he began to move in and out of her. It was the greatest feeling in the entire world. She had never felt anything more perfect than him. His smoldering green eyes bore into hers, it was as if he was looking into her soul. With every thrust she moaned louder. She raked her fingers down his back and tangled in his hair.

He loved her hard that night, giving her everything he could and showing her without any doubt that she was his, that he loved her more than anything in the world, and without a doubt he would love her forever.


	19. Back In Bunnyville

**Chapter 19:**

Back in Bunnyville

The next morning Nick was startled out of blissful dreams about Judy by the sound of a phone. He reached over to the night table and picked it up. Then sat up on his elbows, barely conscious, and pressed answer. Little did he know he was answering a Facetime call on Judy's phone.

"Good morning!" Mr. and Mrs. Hopps exclaimed.

Nick's eyes snapped open when he realized it was them.

"Nick! Why do you have Judy's phone?"

"I, um, must have picked it up by accident at the station yesterday," he said pulling the covers up a bit more.

"Oh, no problem. How are things there?" Mr. Hopps asked.

"It's been great." Nick couldn't help but smile. Everything with Judy had been so perfect. He had never been happier.

"We really worry about her being over in Zootopia," Mrs. Hopps said. "Being a police officer is dangerous work."

Next to him, judy heard voices and opened her eyes. She was horrified to see Nick on a Facetime call with her parents. "Wha…?"

He reached over and put his hand over her mouth. "I know, but Judy is doing great. She's the top officer in the ZPD. She's really brave and strong. She's the one that protects me half the time. I wouldn't worry about her."

Judy tried to take the phone but again Nick pushed her away.

"That's good to know," Mr. Hopps said.

"Even still, I'm glad she has you there to look after her," Mrs. Hopps said. "So Thanksgiving is coming up. We called because we were going to ask her to come visit for Thanksgiving dinner next weekend. We would love to have you as well Nick."

"I would love to come over," Nick replied. "I'll let her know."

"Excellent! We'll see you two very soon. Give Judy our love."

They hung up and Nick put the phone down. Judy was glaring at him and he just laid down smirked knowing what her reaction would be. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you let me talk?!"

"I could have, but then your parents would know about last night. Kind of an interesting way for them to find out we're together, don't you think?"

Judy realized he was right. "Alright fine." He surprised her by rolling her onto her back and getting on top of her. It made her laugh. Then she moaned as he began to kiss her neck. "Nick…"

"So last night was fun."

She let out another moan as he took her breasts in his hands.

"Should we continue?"

"Please."

*WW*

The next day they were on their way to Bunnyville to spend another weekend with Judy's family. "So what do you think they'll say about us dating?" Nick asked when they pulled up to Judy's parents house.

She kissed him. "I think they'll be totally fine with it. And if not, I love you anyway."

He kissed her back. "I love you too."

They got out the car and before they had even gotten to the front door Nick was attacked by a swarm of little bunnies.

"NICK IS BACK!"

"Hey everyone, I missed you too. Joey, you're getting so big." Nick tried to get up but was held down by them climbing on top of him, hugging him, and playing with his tail. "Judy, a little help here?"

Judy just laughed at the whole scene. If anything, at least her little siblings adored Nick.

"You're back," Clara said coming out of the house.

"Clara!" Judy said happily. She reached out and gave her sister a big hug.

Clara looked at the pile of bunnies on the ground still tackling Nick. "I see you brought your fox friend."

"Well, boyfriend now."

Clara's eyes got wide in shock. "You're actually dating him?!"

"Oh my god, you and Judy are dating?!" Maria exclaimed grabbing Nick's collar.

Nick laughed. "You bet."

Maria gave him a hug. "It's about time!"

"Judy, what are mom and dad going to think?" Clara whispered.

"Clara, when have I ever cared what mom and dad think?" Judy said with a smirk.

Clara sighed. "Of course you don't," she said rolling her eyes. "But I mean, don't you want your mom and dad to like your boyfriend? Like when you dated Sam, I'm sure they would have approved of that."

Judy waved it off. "That was nothing. Besides, mom and dad like Nick. I don't think they'll mind that Nick is my boyfriend." She looked back at Nick who was still being hugged by her siblings. "Are you guys coming inside or not?"

They made their way inside. Judy's parents didn't seem to be home so they spent the next couple of hours being entertained by her brothers and sisters until the front door opened and her parents returned from the market.

"Oh my goodness, Judy is home!" Mrs. Hopps exclaimed.

Judy got up from her place on the couch next to Nick and gave her parents a hug.

"And so is her boyfriend Nick Wilde," Clara said looking up from the book she was reading.

"Boyfriend?" Mr. Hopps said in shock.

"Yup," Nick said joining her. "She's my little sweet bunny."

"Aren't they so romantic?" Maria said wistfully.

Mr. Hopps glared at them. "No daughter of mine is going to date a…!"

Mrs. Hopps stepped in front of him. "I'm so happy for the two of you." She threw a glare at her husband. Then she gave Nick a hug and held him at arm's length. "I know you two have been very happy together."

"Of course," Nick said putting an arm around Judy's waist. "Everything about Judy makes me happy."

"We brought a lot of good food for dinner tonight, We'll make this a special meal for our little girl and her new boyfriend. Stu, Clara, how about you come help me make dinner?"

"But honey…" Mr. Hopps protested.

" _Now_ ," Mrs. Hopps said glaring at him again.

*WW*

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious, Nick had never had one so good. He was still stuffed from having multiple plates of food. That night Nick and Judy slept in Judy's bed. It was late at night when Nick woke up. It always made him happy to see his beautiful little Judy curled up next to him, arms around him hugging him close, and lost in sweet dreams. He ran his fingers through her messy hair for a moment and then kissed the top of her head. "I love you beautiful," he whispered.

He gently unwrapped her from around him and went downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink and found Mr. Hopps sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey Mr. Hopps," he said yawning. He started to pour himself a drink of water.

"What are you planning?"

"Excuse me?" Nick said confused.

"What are your real intentions with Judy?" Mr. Hopps said accusingly.

Nick put his glass down on the counter. "Okay Mr. Hopps, I know what this is about. Just because I'm a fox it must mean that I can't be trusted, right?"

Mr. Hopps was about to say something but Nick held up his hand.

"Exactly. I've heard it all before."

"What am I supposed to think of a man who illegally distributes products?!"

"That was the old me sir. You can thank Judy for that. As for my intentions with her, they're nothing but good. I would never dream of hurting her, you have my word."

"I don't care. I want you to break up with her."

"I'm not breaking up with her," Nick said in shock.

"My daughter deserves better than a sleazy fox!"

"Listen Mr. Hopps!" Nick said maybe a bearing his fangs a bit too much. Mr. Hopps jumped back a bit. "I love Judy. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me. The only way I would ever leave her is if she didn't want to be with me anymore. And that's never going to happen."

He left the kitchen and headed back upstairs feeling angry, shocked, and admittedly a bit hurt. Naturally he wanted to be accepted by his girlfriend's parents and yet her father for the same reasons everyone else had hated him over the course of his life. He couldn't change the fact that he was a fox, what he could do was try to change people's perceptions of him. And if Mr. Hopps didn't want to accept him, there was nothing he could do but nothing was going to make him leave Judy.


	20. Moving In

**Chapter 20:**

Moving In

Nick and Judy were in their patrol car one late afternoon. Their day at work was almost over but they had gotten a dispatch call for a hostage situation in a neighborhood and they were racing to the scene of the crime.

"Take the tunnel on second street, it's faster," Nick said.

"Maple Drive is faster," Judy protested.

"No it's not, turn left."

"I'm turning right."

"Damn it Judy, turn left!" He reached over and tried to grab the wheel.

"What are you doing?! Let me drive!" she exclaimed trying to keep control of the wheel.

The two were yanking the steering wheel back and forth oblivious to the chaos they were causing outside of the car. Suddenly they heard a scream outside and saw they were heading towards a group of elephants. The frantically grabbed the wheel and steered out of the way, then lost control of it nearly running over several other animals before they ended up in the neighborhood they were supposed to be in.

"Fucking christ," Nick said.

"At least we made it," Judy said.

"Barely."

They got out of the car and approached the house. It seemed normal but they knew two kidnapped teenagers were being held outside. The neighborhood was gathered outside worriedly and the parents seem elated when they saw Nick and Judy.

"Please get them out! They want money, we don't have anything to give them."

"Just leave it to us ma'am, we'll take care of it," Judy said.

She and Nick approached the house with their guns drawn.

"This is the police! Open the door right now!"Judy shouted.

"You'll have to force me out!" said the man's voice from inside.

"You're asking for it!" Nick said. He banged on the door a few times until he broke it open. Next thing he knew a huge fist collided with his face and he was sent falling backwards.

"Nick!" Judy exclaimed. She bent down next to him. His eye was already starting to swell up. "Are you okay?"

He tried to sit up although he was dizzy. "I'm...I'm alright Judy…"

Judy turned backed to the house. "You're going to pay for that!" She ran inside.

"Judy wait!" Nick exclaimed. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt too. He remembered what happened last time she got hurt. He had to protect her.

But before he could do anything Judy expertly maneuvered around the big elephant inside and had him handcuffed. Nick had to admit he was impressed. While she took care of that he managed to stand although his head was pounding and found the kids tied up in a closet. He let them out and they ran outside. Judy brought out the elephant and they put him in the car to take to the station.

"Rough day, Nick?" Clawhauster said when he saw Nick's messed up face.

Nick narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't want to talk about it."

Judy looked at his face. "That looks really bad," she said deeply concerned.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Nick said although it felt pretty bad."

They got the elephant kidnapper taken into custody and then Judy and Nick headed to Judy's house where Judy immediately went into take care of Nick mode.

"Lay down," she said leading him over to her bed.

"I'm fine Judy, really," he said. Although as soon as he laid down his head started to pound again.

"Nick Wilde, you're definitely _not_ fine. Just relax, I'll be right back."

She went into the bathroom and got some bandages and a warm cloth then came back and found that Nick had taken off his shoes and police shirt was just wearing an undershirt.

"Glad you're getting comfortable," she said.

"I've got the sexiest nurse in the world, why not get comfortable?"

She couldn't help but laugh. Then she began to clean up his wound.

"Ow," he said flinching.

"I knew it was bad."

"Not really," he said stubbornly.

"Stop trying to be brave," she said. She put bandaids on his face when she was done. "Better?"

"Thanks sweet bunny."

She kissed him. "You're welcome sweet fox. Now move over so I can lay next to you."

He did and she lay next to him sitting on her elbows so she could look at his handsome face. "What if we lived together?" she said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Nevermind," she said changing her mind about bringing it up.

"No, wait, I didn't mean it like that. I mean...you want to live together?"

"I just figured, well, we're together all the time anyway. And it would be kinda nice to sleep together every night and wake up together and come home together. Only if you want to though. I know it's stupid idea…"

He put his finger over her mouth. "I don't think it's a stupid idea at all. I would love to live with you."

*WW*

They decided to live at Judy's apartment, it was nicer and a bit bigger than Nick's. Eventually they'd find a nice house to live in but for now they would live there. They spent all of Saturday moving in his stuff. They arranged the place together the way they liked it and when everything was perfect they were very excited about starting a new chapter of their lives.

The next morning they were woken up by the sound the alarm in Judy's...actually their bed. Nick shut it off and cuddle close to Judy drifting off back to sleep.

"Wake up," Judy said stretching.

"I'll pass," Nick said wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her chest knowing she wouldn't be able to get up.

"Really Nick, we've got to go to work." She tried to sit up but he was weighing her down. "Nick."

He started to snore.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on!" She tried to get up but with him laying on top of her and having no intention of moving she was stuck. "Are you really asleep? Let me get up."

"You can take down criminals but you can't get your boyfriend off of you," he said with a smirk. He still didn't move.

She lay back in defeat. "God you're annoying."

He kissed her neck. "You know you love me."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "You're lucky you're so hot."

He finally sat up on his elbows looking down at her. "What can I say? I was born this way."

She grabbed a pillow and hit him in the head with it knocking him backwards.

"So that's how it's going to be huh?" He grabbed the other pillow and hit her with it. They went back and forth in an all out pillow fight. Judy stood up and hit him again but slipped and fel forward knocking them both on the floor in a mess of sheets and pillows.

"Hey shut up in there!" shouted their neighbors.

"You shut up!" Nick called back. "Annoying fucks."

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

Next thing he knew he was tackled to the floor but this time instead of being hit with a pillow she started kissing him.


	21. Favor

**Chapter 21:**

Favor

Judy was at home when there was a knock on their door.

She got off the couch went to answer it. When she opened the door she found that it was Clara, her long brown hair hanging loose over her shoulders and she wore a flowered maxi dress.

"Hey Clara, come on in," Judy said gesturing for her to come inside.

"Nice little place you've got here," Clara said looking around. The apartment was small but it had a homey feeling to it with candles, pictures on the wall, and the place smelled vaguely of carrots.

"Thanks," Judy said sitting on the couch. "We're kinda looking for something a little bigger now."

"We?" Clara asked sitting next to her.

"Oh yeah, Nick just moved in a few days ago," Judy said happily.

Now that she mentioned it Clara noticed the signs of Nick living here. There were a pair of sneakers and a jacket by the front door that were way too big for Judy.

"So what's up girl?" Judy asked.

"Well, you're not going to believe this but I bought a house," Clara said excitedly.

"Wow, Clara, that's awesome!" Judy exclaimed. "Where is it?"

"It's in the Bunnyville Valley. So like, it's close enough to mom and dad where I can still help out on the farm but far enough where I can kinda do my own thing, you know?"

"That's really great Clara," Judy said. She was genuinely happy for her sister. "I'd love to come see it sometime."

"Actually, that's what I came here to talk to you about," Clara said. "The house needs a few renovations and I wanted to know if you'd come by and help out."

"Oh sure. What does it need? A paint job? Lay down some carpet?"

"More or less," Clara said with a shrug. "I would ask mom and dad but they're so busy with the farm and with the little ones."

"Sure, how long do you think it'll take?" Judy asked thinking she could definitely go down for a few days, or even a week, to help her sister out.

"Maybe three weeks? Four?"

"Four weeks?!" Judy exclaimed. "Clara, I can't go for four weeks. I have a job here and Nick...I can't leave for that long."

"Oh please Judy!" Clara said grabbing her sister's hand. "I really do need the help, I can't do it all on my own. You can take a leave of absence from the ZPD. And Nick will be fine, it's only for a little while. Please Judy, for me? For your favorite sister?"

Judy looked into her sister's pleading violet eyes for a moment and sighed. "Alright, four weeks. I can't stay any longer than that."

Clara reached out and gave her a big hug. "Oh thank you Judy!"

*WW*

A few days later Judy was laying in Nick's arms in their bed.

"So you won't believe what I was dreaming about," Nick said running his fingers up and down her bare leg.

"Sex?"

He chuckled. "Well we were on a case, trying to find some kidnappers. We ended up in a nightclub full of elephants doing Michael Jackson dances."

Judy laughed. "What the hell?"

On the roof was a tropical paradise…and then we had sex."

"No more tacos before bed."

"Maybe it's not the tacos." He kissed her neck. "Maybe it's because you're so damn hot."

"You're the hot one," she said with a blissful sigh. She gasped when he felt his finger in her. "Mm Nick!" She opened her eyes and found him giving her a sly look. "You slick fox," she panted.

"You know you love me baby."

She smirked. "Do I?" She pushed him over onto his back and sat on top of him. She ran her hands up and down his toned chest. His hair was extra messy that day. He hadn't shaved in a few days and his face was covered in a thin stubble. His green eyes were half lidded with lust. He was absolutely perfect to him. "Yes I do."

He had adjusted her hips on his waist and pushed up into her. She let out a moan at the incredible feeling. He reached up to take her breasts in both hands. She leaned down and kissed him unable to resist anymore. He held her close and the room was filled with their moans as they spent the morning showing each other how much they loved each other.

Afterwards they collapsed on the bed next to each other panting and tired. She lay on his chest feeling that post sex urge to cuddle with wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead and they lay there in a blissful silence for a while just letting the moment wash over them.

Eventually she sat up on her elbows and looked down at him. "I'm gonna miss you," she said running her fingers through his hair.

He kissed her lips. "I'm not staying away from you for 4 weeks."

She smiled. "Good, I wouldn't want you to."

"What the hell does Clara need you to do for that long anyway?"

Judy shrugged. "I don't know but I doubt it will even take that long."

"Well I'll be coming to visit you every chance I get."

"Good, there's no way I can ever go four weeks without your kisses." She kissed him very passionately to prove her point.

"The ZPD is going to be lonely without you."

She smirked. "You'll survive."

"Barely. Come here, beautiful." He pulled her down to him for more kisses. Four weeks away from her was going to be hell, but she had to do what she had to do. Until then he'd get all he could get before and after she was gone.

"I should get ready to go," she said after a few minutes.

"Do you have to?" he said running his hands up and down her waist, h tone suggesting they go four another round of sex.

She giggled. "Yes. We;ll make love as much as you want as soon as we can."

"I can live with that for now."

They crawled out of bed and got dressed, Nick in some jeans and a button up shirt and Judy in some ripped jeans and a tank top. They made breakfast together and by the time he had finished helping her pack there was a knock on the door that sure enough was Clara.

Judy answered the door while Nick was zipping up her suitcase. "Hey Clara."

"Hey Judy, ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Judy said.

Nick brought over her suitcase and kissed her. Then turned to her sister. "Take care of my sweet bunny Clara."

Clara forced a smile. "Trust me, I will."

Nick pulled Judy close to him for one last kiss. He didn't want to let her go, and one more kiss would never be enough. "I love you Judy."

"I love you too Nick."

"Alright, wonderful, come on Judy. We have to go," Clara interrupted trying to pull Judy away.

She picked up her suitcase. "See you soon Nick."

She got in the car with Clara and they took the long drive to Bunnyville, past their parents house, towards the Bunnyville Valley.

"Where the hell is this place?" Judy said impatiently. They had been driving forever and the further they got the houses got scarce. At this point there were no signs of life anywhere.

"We're almost there."

A few minutes later the pulled up to a house in the middle of the valley. It was a nice house, and fairly big. It was next to a lake and had a really nice balcony. The problem was there wasn't any civilization nearby for at least a mile. And the house, however beautiful it was, did in fact need a lot of renovations. The stairs leading up to the front door were cracked and the railing was broken, the driveway looked like an earthquake had gone through it, the paint on the house was chipped, and the shingles needed to be replaced as well as several roof tiles. Judy was sure as soon as they went inside there would be more that needed to be done.

"Home sweet home!" Clara said as they got out of the car.

"Wow Clara...you really know how to pick them," Judy said still skeptical about the whole situation.

"Aw thanks!" Clara said. "This house is a dream. It's so beautiful. And I've always wanted a house by the lake You should see the view in the mornings. It's absolutely gorgeous!"

Clara gave Judy a tour of the inside of the house and everything they needed to do from completely redoing the balcony, painting every room, laying down floor tiles and carpet, finishing the basement. It looked overwhelming to Judy. She doubted they'd be able to do it all in four weeks.

"So what do you think?" Clara asked eagerly once they were done with the tour.

"Well…" Judy wondered what she could possibly say that wouldn't hurt her sister's feelings. "It certainly has potential."

"This house is going to be spectacular when we're done with it, I promise!"

"Well, alright. We should get to work as soon as we can. In the meantime, what's the address to this place?" she asked pulling out her phone.

"Why do you need to know?" Clara asked.

"So Nick can come visit me," she replied. But when she tried to text Nick it wouldn't go through. "There's no reception here!"

"Oh yeah," Clara said. "I should have told you that."

"Is there Wifi?"

Clara shook her head.

Judy looked at her in disbelief. "Well, do you have a house phone? I told him I would let him know when we got here."

Clara just shrugged. "I haven't installed it yet."

"Clara!" Judy exclaimed frustratedly.

Clara waved it off. "We'll take care of all that eventually. In the meantime you can write to him."

Judy sighed. This was going to be a long four weeks.


	22. Apart

**Chapter 22:**

Apart

 _Dear Nick,_

 _I'm sorry I haven't texted you or called or anything. There isn't any cell reception at Clara's new place and she hasn't installed any telephones. This is going to be a long ass four weeks._

 _This house is in the middle of nowhere! Yes it's pretty and it's by the lake but that's literally all it has going for it. We have to fix the driveway, the stairs, the balcony, paint the walls, lay down carpet, the ceilings, you name it we have to fix it. This is going to take ages!_

 _The nearest store is 3 miles away. There are no other houses nearby. Our parents house in 30 minutes away from here. We're totally isolated._

 _I love my sister, I really do. But even I have to admit that this place is beneath her. I can't believe she invested the money in this place. I don't have the heart to tell her. She's so excited about it. She really wants to get this place off the ground but the truth is I don't think we're going to be able to do it._

 _I hope everything is going well there. How are things at the ZPD? I miss you so much. I can't wait to get home. Come visit me as soon as you can. The address is 35 Lake View Bunnyville Valley._

 _I love you with all my heart Nick._

 _Love,_

 _Judy._

The first thing Judy and Clara did was paint, it seemed like the easiest and most fun thing to do. But even Judy had to admit that after painting the first 3 rooms she was totally over it.

"I'm going for kind of a modernist, yet a classic vibe, you know?" Clara had said when they got started.

"I have to say Clara, this is a big house. Painting every room is going to take days," Judy said.

"Don't worry Judy, with the two of us it'll go by fast."

Hours later they had done several rooms and Judy had paint all over her hands and clothes. It was a drag, but she would do it for her sister.

"Hey Judy?" Clara said.

"Yeah?"

"How did you and Nick get together?"

Judy couldn't help but smile as she did whenever she thought of it. "It was kinda complicated. We had our first kiss when we were on duty at the ZPD. Then we got into a fight and broke up. Then we got back together."

"Did you ever break up again?"

"Nope, I would never break up with him again. That was the worst few days of my life. He's incredibly kind, sweet, loving. He's a smart ass but he's my smart ass," she said with a laugh.

"Do you think you'll ever get married?"

Judy thought about that for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know. I hope so. I would want nothing more than to spend my life with him. It's kinda like we're married anyway. We live together, we work together, marriage would just make it official."

Clara sighed. "I wish I had something like that."

"What ever happened between you and Evan?" Clara dated Evan since high school. While Judy was at the police academy she thought the two of them would get engaged. Their parents certainly approved of Evan. He was a bunny who lived in Bunnyville. He didn't have any plans to leave or do anything exotic like become a police officer. To Mr. and Mrs. Hopps he was perfect.

"Things didn't work out," Clara said. "We grew apart. I haven't really found anyone who lights me up like he did."

"You will Clara," Judy said comfortingly. "Maybe go on a rip or something outside of Bunnyville. There's so much the world has to offer, including the guys. I never would have met Nick if I hadn't gone to Zootopia."

Clara snickered dryly. "What would mom and dad think if I came home with a con artist?"

Judy laughed. "We he doesn't have to be a con artist. My point is there are just so many people who are interesting and you won't meet them if you don't step outside of your comfort zone."

"Yeah, I guess so." Clara had never been as good at stepping out of her comfort zone as Judy. Their parents had instilled in them the values of staying where they were comfortable and not taking risks. Judy had deliberately rebelled against that and here she was a top police officer in Zootopia with the added plus of a hot boyfriend. Clara had followed their parents orders and stayed in Bunnyville, became a carrot farmer, stayed in her comfort zone. She often wondered who had done the right thing.

"I'm sure there aren't any nice bunnies to date in Zootopia," Clara said.

"Sure there are," Judy said.

"No way."

Judy laughed. "Seriously. I've met plenty of bunnies in Zootopia.

"Well...that's good at least. I wouldn't date a predator."

"It's not that bad, I promise."

"But...he's so tall."

Judy shrugged. "I think it makes him very handsome."

"He's got claws and fangs," Clara pointed out. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Nope," Judy said shaking her head. "I barely notice."

"He doesn't scare you?"

"Nick has never scared me."

"Well…" Clara tried to think of another excuse. "I couldn't live with the stigma."

"We don't care what other people think," Judy said. "I'm not going to live my life caring what other people think about me. And like Nick says, even if you do care you can't let people see that they get to you."

*WW*

Weeks passed at Bunnyville Valley. They worked tirelessly on the house. They managed to paint all of the rooms and fill in the holes in the walls and the ceilings. They spent a week redoing the deck and the next task was to fix the roof tiles.

Judy was going insane. There was still no reception and Clara had put off getting the house phone. She had sent Nick multiple letters but she hadn't gotten any responses from him. She had been here for three weeks and she missed him terribly. There was only one week left here and they still had so much left to do. All she wanted at this point was to be with Nick.

They were getting ready to start working on the roof when a car pulled up to the driveway. It was their parents.

"Look at this place!" Mrs. Hopps said. "It's starting to look fantastic!"

"Thanks mom," Clara said happily.

"I brought some materials for your roof," Mr. Hopps said. "We're here to help out for the day. Working on roofs can be tough."

"Thanks dad," Judy said. Their parents had come to visit and help them out several times since they had been there. They brought their younger siblings sometimes and they often brought food for them. But it just wasn't the same.

They spent most of the afternoon laying down tiles for the roof. After that was finished they had dinner together in the kitchen.

"I'm very impressed with all the work you've been doing girls," Mr. Hopps said.

"Thanks dad, this place is going to look fantastic when we're done," Clara said.

"How are things between you and Nick, Judy?" Mrs. Hopps asked.

"So wonderful mom," Judy said. She felt herself getting choked up when she spoke. God she missed Nick.

"She hasn't heard from him since she's been here mom," Clara said.

"Really? That's strange," Mrs. Hopps said.

"Yeah, I've written to him and everything. I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just busy with work," Judy said trying to hide her sadness.

"He's probably busy with that husling life," Mr. Hopps said.

Judy shook her head. "Trust me dad, he's not."

"Well don't worry about it darling," he said optimistically. "I'm sure whatever Nick is doing he's fine."

"Exactly, your father is right," Mrs. Hopps said putting her hand on Judy's comfortingly. "Things that are meant to be always find a way Judy."

"Well we might as well start heading out. It's getting late and we've got to make sure the kids haven't torn apart the house," Mr. Hopps said.

"Can you do me a favor?" Judy said. She pulled her latest letter to Nick out of her purse and handed it to them. "Can you send this? I don't know if Nick is getting them from here. Maybe if you send it he'll get it."

"I've got it," Mr. Hopps said taking the letter. "Don't you worry Judy, I'll make sure he gets it."

*WW*

It was the day Judy was supposed to go back home and she couldn't be more relieved. There was still so much more work left to be done on the house, but it would take forever to finish it. Judy was eager to get back home to her life in Zootopia and more importantly she was ready to go home to Nick.

"Where are you going?" Clara said when she came downstairs with her suitcase.

"It's the day I go home Clara, have you forgotten?"

Clara stood up. "B-But there's still so much more left to do here! We need to start working on the basement today!"

"Clara, I've been here for four weeks, that's as long as I said I would stay. I need to go home. They need me at the ZPD, and Nick needs me. I'm sure he's absolutely worried sick by now."

Clara ran over to her and grabbed her hand. "Another week Judy. Two. Maybe three. Please, I need the help! There's no one else around to help me and I can't do it all on my own. I'll make sure you get home to Nick soon. I promise."

Judy was about to protest but Clara looked on the verge of tears. She sighed. "Fine. I'll stay a little bit longer. But seriously Clara, I can't just abandon my life in Zootopia."

"I'm not asking you to do that Judy. I just need a little bit more help. It's going to go by fast, I promise."

Judy thought about what was going on at the ZPD. Her friends Clawhauster and Maribel had to have been missing her. And Nick...she could hardly think about Nick without tears immediately springing in her eyes. She missed him so much it physically hurt. She couldn't imagine how he was feeling right now seeing as how she hadn't been able to contact him and she felt awful about it. But she knew if she left she'd also feel guilty about not helping Clara. She would find a way to contact Nick and let him know what was going on and until then she would grudgingly help her sister.

Two weeks passed, then three. She was starting to hate everything about this place and Clara's voice was becoming ear bleeding. They were making little progress on the house. Her parents insisted that she was doing the right thing by staying here and helping Clara with the house. She still had no way of contacting Nick. Clara insisted that she would get a phone eventually. Judy sent Nick letters nearly every day but after all this time still hadn't heard anything back.

She was starting to wonder if maybe there was a reason for that. Maybe he was mad at her for staying away so long. He probably thought she had abandoned him and didn't want to be with him anymore so he had decided to move on. She remembered how hard Esmeralda had tried to get back together with him and for a painful moment wondered if he really had gotten back with his ex.

She was desperate to find out what he was doing and how he felt and it pained her to have no way of knowing and no way of telling him how much she still cared about him and that she was trapped in this shithole of a house with her sister.

As time wore on the pain of missing Nick and not knowing whether he was waiting for her was becoming too much to bear. She felt like a zombie going through the days with no one but Clara and occasionally her family to talk to. Every night she cried wishing that she was with the one person she loved more than anything in the world.


	23. Need Her

**Chapter 23:**

Need Her

It was lonely around the house without Judy. Nick didn't realize how much he had gotten used to snuggling with her, playing around, and making love with her all the time. When she was gone he found himself at a loss for what to do.

The first day she was gone he spent most of his time at home just relaxing waiting for that text letting him know she had gotten there. He had planned to come visit her every other day, or depending on far away she was every weekend at the very least. There was no way his Judy was going to be away from him for that long if he could do anything about it.

But by the end of the day no text. By the end of the day the next day he was starting to get really worried. Had she made it okay? Was something wrong? He texted her multiple times throughout the day.

 _Did you make it to Clara's house?_

 _Are you okay?_

 _Come on carrots, this isn't funny anymore._

 _Judy seriously, I'm worried…_

A few days later he walked into the ZPD with his usual sunglasses and coffee but under all of that he was deeply worried about his girlfriend. Judy was a strong girl, she could take care of herself, but he would have thought she'd text him at the very least.

"Have you gone to visit Judy yet?" Clawhauster said stuffing donuts in his mouth as usual.

"No, not yet," Nick replied. "I haven't heard from her."

"What do you mean you haven't heard from her? Is she alright?"

"I'm sure she's fine. It isn't like Judy to not stay in contact with me."

"Do you think something went wrong? Maybe they got into a car accident? Or maybe the house was robbed…?"

"Clawhauster stop!" Nick exclaimed. The bad scenarios weren't helping his mindset at all. "You're not helping."

"Sorry," Clawhauster said. "But really though, I'm sure Judy is fine. She's probably just distracted."

"I hope so Ben, I really do."

Being on patrol without Judy was also weird. He'd been working at the ZPD for nearly a year and he'd always been on patrol with her. It was very odd to say the least when she wasn't there. He took down the criminals on his own, solving the missions, trying to think like Judy when he was stumped. He was doing fine on his own, he was certainly capable. But it was definitely easier, and of course more fun, with Judy around.

He texted and called Judy multiple times a day. He tried calling her parents thinking they could tell him something but their phone line seemed to be disconnected. The whole situation was bizarre and it didn't ease his worries any less.

Four weeks passed and it was time for Judy to come home. He waited for her at home all day. By the middle of the day he was pacing back and forth across the apartment impatiently. He was constantly looking out the window trying to see if Clara's car was going to show up. By the evening he was going mad with worry, even a drink didn't help. He wasn't able to sleep that night. He went into the ZPD exhausted. He was distracted all day trying to call or text Judy and checking to see if she would let him know what was going on but he heard nothing.

More weeks passed. He didn't know what to think. Why had Judy not contacted him since she'd been gone? He hadn't even gotten any letters from her. He was starting to wonder if Judy wasn't talking to him on purpose. He felt awful for it, but it was either that or something terrible had happened to her and he didn't want to think of that either. Had Judy really left and found someone else without any intention of coming back to him? After all they had been through and all they had promised and worked hard for? The thought made his heart ache.

He loved Judy more than anything in the entire world, she was his life. Now that the most important person in his life was gone, he was at a loss for what to do. It was definitely starting to weigh on him. He'd be like a zombie going through the day, the life that she brought to his gone in her absence. When he'd come home to the apartment he'd had the pleasure of sharing only two days with her, he'd lay in their bed where he desperately clung to her scent and cried himself to sleep.

His friends were starting to notice. Bogo and the rest of the officers looked at him with pity. The usual smart ass Nick Wilde had become quiet and visibly depressed and everyone knew why.

Clawauster and Maribel were at the station one morning discussing their concerns about Nick. The more time went on they became more and more worried about him. They knew he hadn't heard a thing from Judy and the whole situation was deeply concerning.

Suddenly the door opened and Nick walked in. He looked exhausted. His eyes were red. It was obvious he had been crying, he didn't even try to hide it anymore. He dragged his feet. He had a cup of coffee in his hand as usual but his expression seemed to be elsewhere.

"Hey Nick," Maribel said gently.

He nodded at her. "Hey."

"How are you doing?"

"Alright I guess," he said with a shrug.

Maribel and Clawhauster exchanged a concerned look. He was definitely _not_ alright.

"So, um, there's a Gazelle concert tonight," Clawhauster said enthusiastically. "Do you want to come with us?"

Judy loved Gazelle. If he went he knew he would just be thinking about her the whole time. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"Are you sure? It'll be fun," Maribel said.

"It'll help you forget about Judy," Clawhauster said trying to be helpful.

Nick glared at him but he didn't have the energy to yell. "I can never forget about Judy." With that he walked off.

*WW*

Nick and Finnick were under the bridge in their usual spot sitting in lawn chairs and smoking cigars. It had been three months since Judy left. _Three months_. He hadn't heard a single thing from her since then. It was weighing on him heavily. He had never been so depressed in his entire life. All he wanted was his Judy back by his side.

Nick finished up the cigar and began to light another one.

"Damn Nick, how many of those have you had?" Finnick said. Nick usually smoked two at the most.

Nick thought for a moment. "Five."

"You're going to die of lung cancer."

Nick just shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

Finnick looked at him for a moment his expression turning angrier by the second. "That does it!" he exclaimed.

Nick looked at him surprised. "What?"

"I'm sick of this!" Finnick said. He threw his cigar on the ground and stood up. "I'm fucking sick of this!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Finnick gestured to him. "All of this! This moping around feeling sorry for yourself thing! I can't take it anymore!"

"Why do you care?"

"Remember what we said when we were kids? We're not gonna let anything get to us, people aren't worth that type of shit."

"Judy is different!" Nick said. He sighed. "She has my heart. No matter what, she's going to get to me whether I like it or not."

"Then fucking do something about it Nick!" Finnick practically shouted.

"What am I supposed to do? I've been calling her nearly every day, I can't get in contact with her parents, I don't know the address to her sister's house."

Finnick grabbed his collar. "God damn it man, you're a police officer! You have access to records normal people wouldn't be able to dream of. Find her! Get her back! Bring her home!"

Nick realized Finnick was right. He had overlooked the best resource he had and he needed to use it. It was time he got off his ass. It was time to be a man and get his girl back. He put out his cigar and stood up. "Out of my way Fin, I need to find Judy."

He went to the ZPD with a renewed sense of determination.

"What are you doing here?" Clawhauster asked. It was Nick's day off, he was never there on his day off.

"I need to look up something very important."

He spent hours looking up records in the police datebase. It wasn't easy but eventually he found what he was looking for: 35 Lake View, Bunnyville Valley.

He left his office and went to the car. It was late. He didn't care. He programmed the address into his GPS and took off. He didn't stop anywhere. He was exhausted but he wasn't going to stop until he found Judy.

He drove for ages, eventually driving through the familiar Bunnyville. The place tapered off until there were no houses in sight. Where the hell was Clara's house? Eventually he came to a house in the middle of the valley. He wasn't sure he had the right place until he noticed Clara's car in the driveway.

Nick got out of the car and went up to the front door. He rang the doorbell and within seconds Clara answered it. She looked horrified to see him there.

"N-Nick? What are you doing here?" She was barely able to talk through her shock.

"I came to see Judy. Is she here?"

Clara shook her head quickly. "No! She's not. Judy is not here…" She tried closing the door but it was too late. Judy had heard voice from upstairs.

"Clara, who's here?" Judy went to the top of the stairs and her heart nearly exploded when she saw him. "Nick?"

"Hey Judy," Nick said with a smile.

"Oh my god, Nick!" Judy ran down the stairs.

Clara tried to get in front of her. "No, wait…!"

Judy barely noticed her. She pushed her sister out of the way and jumped into Nick's arms. It felt so good to finally be in his arms again and be able to kiss him. They kissed over and over elated to finally be able to feel each other and holding each other.

"I missed you so much Nick!" she said with tears pouring down her face.

He wiped the tears from her face although his eyes were overflowing as well. "I missed you too Judy." He had finally found her and he was never letting her go again.

"Alright, great, you two got to see each other! Nick, can go now…" Clara said trying to get between them again.

"I'm not going anywhere," Nick said holding Judy tighter.

"But…"

"You can stay for as long as you want," Judy said to him.

"No…!"

Nick hugged her close to him. "Good, because I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again."

"Let's go upstairs. It's getting late," Judy said. The two of them then went upstairs to go to bed.

Clara was starting to panic. After they were out of sight she ran upstairs to her room, closed the door behind her, and picked up the landline phone next to her bed. "Dad, we've got a problem."

"What's wrong dear?" Mr. Hopps said on the other end.

"Nick is here."

"What?! How did he find the place?!"

"I don't know! I don't know what to do! He won't leave!"

"I'll come over tomorrow and deal with the situation Clara, don't worry."


	24. The Truth

**Chapter 24:**

The Truth

Nick and Judy were under the covers in Judy's room holding each other close. They hadn't let go of each other since he walked through the door. It seemed surreal being next to each other right now. After three months of being apart and not knowing it they were ever going to be together again, they had never been so happy to be next to each other.

"I can't believe you've been stuck in this shitty house for three months," Nick said.

"It's insane," Judy said. "We're basically building it from scratch. When Clara said she needed help with renovations I didn't think it would be more than painting and fixing a few things."

"I'm just glad I found the place. I haven't heard anything from you since you left. I wasn't sure if you had left for good or you were hurt…"

"Wait, you haven't heard anything from me?" Judy said confused.

"No," Nick said. "I've been calling you and texting you every day and I never got a response. I even tried calling your parents and couldn't get in contact with them."

"I don't know why my parents wouldn't answer but there's no cell reception here and Clara hasn't installed the phones. I've been sending you letters. I put the address in the first letter I sent you."

"I didn't get any letters. I found the address from the police database."

Judy was confused. "How could this have happened?"

"It seems like a certain sister may have something to do with it baby," Nick pointed out.

"Why would Clara do this? It's not like her."

"Let's not worry about it right now sweet bunny," Nick said running his fingers across her cheek.

Judy felt tears spring into her eyes. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I do," Nick said feeling choked up as well. "I was so broken without you Judy. I've never felt this way in my entire life. I didn't know if you were hurt, or if you were even coming back…"

She wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'll always come back to you. No matter where I am, I'll always be there for you. This has been the hardest three months of my life. I'm so glad you found me."

He started to kiss her. His mouth moved on hers desperately. It had been such a long time since he had been able to feel her touch. Having her tiny warm body this close to him was the most incredible feeling in the world. The need for her was starting to grow. He rolled on top of her still kissing her. She wrapped her legs around him drawing him closer, breathing him in, wanting what they had missed for such a long time.

He ran his fingers through her hair cradling her in his arms as he looked into her eyes. "Never leave me again."

"Never," she said. "I'll be by your side forever."

He went back in to kiss her. "I love you," he whispered against her lips.

She became lost in his kisses before she could respond. But through the actions that passed between them next, he already knew.

*WW*

The next morning, Nick and Judy came down for breakfast and found Clara sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. She looked very nervous and she looked like she had been crying. She looked up when she saw them come in. "Nick, Judy, I um, I didn't hear you come down."

Judy and Nick sat across from her. "Clara, I'm going home today."

"What?! Judy…"

"I've been here for three months. We're halfway done with the house. They need me at work." She held Nick's hand and looked up at him. "And I can't be away from Nick any longer."

"Judy, I can't do this all on my own," Clara said.

"You have mom and dad to help. And if you really need me I'll come down on the weekends. I just can't stay any longer."

Clara wanted to protest, but she just didn't have the energy for it. She felt defeated.

"And also, Nick told me he hasn't been getting any of the letters I sent him," Judy said.

Clara froze. Her eyes darted back and forth and finally settled on looking into her coffee avoiding eye contact with both of them.

It didn't slip past Judy and Nick and they exchanged a confused look.

"Do you know anything about it Clara?" Nick asked.

Clara shook her head quickly. "No, I don't know what you're talking about."

Before anything more could be said the doorbell rang.

Clara hopped up from her chair. "I'll get it."

Judy and Nick remained in the kitchen more confused than ever.

"Dad!" Clara said when she opened the door.

"Where are they?" Mr. Hopps said.

"In the kitchen," Clara said.

Seconds later Clara came back with Mr. and Mrs. Hopps.

"Mom, dad…" Judy began. Before she could say anything more, Mr. Hopps' glare was focused on Nick.

"How did you find this place?" he said angrily.

"I'm a police officer, I have resources," Nick said simply.

"You're not supposed to be here."

"I couldn't stay away from Judy forever."

"You were supposed to!" Mr. Hopps said. "You're a fox! You're not supposed to be with my daughter! I don't care what you say, a fox is not to be trusted! I want you out of our lives!"

"Stu, what has gotten into you?!" Mrs. Hopps exclaimed in shock.

"What's going on?!" Judy said. "Why are you being so mean to Nick?!"

"Because he's not good enough for you!"

"Of course he is! Nick is incredible! What's really going on?! I know you're hiding things from me! No more lies, just tell me what's been going on!"

Judy looked back and forth between everyone in the room. Clara was in the corner looking at the floor and looking more nervous than she was before. Mrs. Hopps was just as confused and Judy was. Nick looked hurt and angry. Mr. Hopps' angry exterior faltered and he sighed.

"We tried to keep you and Nick away from each other," he admitted.

"What?" Judy said in shock.

"Dad…" Clara began.

"There's no use keeping it covered up anymore. After Thanksgiving, Clara and I talked. I convinced her to buy this house. I looked for the place myself. It was just far enough away to isolate you and it was a nice house for Clara to live in once it was all fixed up. I've been paying the bills and paying for all of the renovations. I changed the house phone number so Nick couldn't reach us. The idea was to keep you away long enough that Nick would think you abandoned him and wouldn't wait for you and move on."

"And my letters?"

"Clara and I hid them."

Judy was utterly shocked. She never would have imagined that her father and her sister would be so desperate to get her away from her boyfriend, the greatest thing that had ever happened to her in her life, that they would go to such great lengths to orchestrate this plan.

"I would _never_ have moved on from Judy," Nick said. "I would have waited for her for the rest of my life if I had to. I never stopped thinking about her and I never stopped trying to find her. Judy is the most important person in my life. And even if you don't care about how I feel, I would think that her own family members would care about her feelings enough to put their own biases aside and let her be happy."

"Stu, Clara, I'm disappointed," Mrs. Hopps said. "I really am disappointed in both of you."

Judy wiped a tear from her eye. "We're going home. There's no need for us to stick around."

She and Nick started to leave the kitchen.

"Judy, wait!" Clara said trying to stop her.

Judy didn't pay any attention. She had never felt so betrayed in her life, by her own family nonetheless!

Her and Nick went upstairs. As Judy was about to pick up her suitcase, Nick put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Judy shrugged. "I don't know what to think."

He took the suitcase from her and put it on the floor. Then he gave her a hug. They stood there for a moment just holding each other silently letting each other know that they were there for each other. Then Nick picked up the suitcase and they went downstairs. They ignored the muffled sounds of voices from the kitchen and went out to Nick's car. They drove off and didn't look back.


End file.
